Nassau County police officers will now be assisting federal authorities with immigration enforcement in what county executive Bruce Blakeman is calling a “big change” that “was sorely needed.”
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Blakeman, who is a Republican, explained that the Nassau County Police Department will embed 10 detectives within the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) to target illegal immigrant criminals in the county.
Additionally, the Nassau County Correctional Center will be setting aside dedicated space for illegal immigrant criminals, allowing ICE space to hold them pending their removal from the U.S.
As part of the arrangement, Nassau County will receive federal funding to help reimburse them for the extra personnel power and jail space made available to ICE.
SANCTUARY CITIES THAT REFUSE ICE REMOVAL REQUESTS COULD BE PUNISHED UNDER STATE, FEDERAL LEGISLATION
Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman speaks during a news conference in Mineola, New York, on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Philip Marcelo, File)
“Now we can call ICE up [and] ICE will come in and detain them or deport them,” he said. “So, it’s a big change, and it’s one that was sorely needed.”
Blakeman said that the partnership was proposed by ICE as soon as President Donald Trump returned to the White House. He said that he believes the partnership will “absolutely” have a dramatic effect on improving the safety and well-being of citizens and residents in Nassau, which is one of the largest counties in the country.
“ICE approached us, asked us if we would cooperate, and I said absolutely yes. I believe in their mission. I believe in cooperation with our federal law enforcement professionals, and I thought it would make us safer in Nassau County,” he said. “I thought it was the right thing to do, and the fact of the matter is, I’m just very grateful that President Trump is now allowing ICE to do their job, and I think that’s very, very important because it’s going to keep us all a lot safer.”
He explained that until now the state’s migrant sanctuary policies have made it difficult for police and ICE to enforce federal immigration law and get dangerous criminal migrants off the streets. Meanwhile, other leaders in the state, such as New York Attorney General Letitita James, a Democrat, have threatened law enforcement with legal action if they assist with ICE removal operations.
SANCTUARY CITIES THAT REFUSE ICE REMOVAL REQUESTS COULD BE PUNISHED UNDER STATE, FEDERAL LEGISLATION
New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks outside New York Supreme Court ahead of then-former President Donald Trump’s civil business fraud trial on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023 in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)
“We’ve had a 5-year-old girl who was raped by an illegal migrant. I mean, how disgusting is that? We’ve had fentanyl come in from illegal migrants south of the border with amounts that could kill our whole population,” he said. “Well, now, those individuals who are involved in that type of activity will either be permanently detained or they will be deported …. So, it’ll be a safer community.”
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“I can’t speak for any of the state officials up in Albany. They’ve promulgated bizarre laws that give criminals more rights than victims. You just have to scratch your head and say to yourself, why are they always sticking up for criminals? When are they going to start sticking up for victims?” he asked. “All I can say is here in Nassau County, we’re going to follow the federal law.”
Blakeman clarified that Nassau County officers will not be conducting immigration enforcement raids with ICE, but rather working in tandem with the agency to facilitate the smooth transfer of illegals for deportation.
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President Donald Trump is pictured in front of the U.S. Capitol Building, surrounded by fencing in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Trump-Vance Transition Team)
“This is for targeted criminals who are here illegally in America. So basically, what would happen is, let’s say a police officer arrests somebody for committing a crime in Nassau County. They would then do a background check. They would check the records of ICE. It would be determined that they were here illegally and then we would notify ICE and ICE would come and pick them up.“
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Blakeman said that as far as he is concerned, the partnership with ICE and federal authorities will remain in place for “as long as it’s necessary.”
“After Joe Biden was elected president, Joe Biden’s directive was that ICE should not be enforcing the law, that basically individuals that were illegal migrants who committed crimes should be treated like citizens. And ICE was paralyzed,” he said. “Now, under President Trump, they are enforcing the laws that are already on the books, and we are going to assist them in enforcing the law because it will mean that we’ll have a safer county.”
