Sixty-three New York lawmakers are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to issue an executive order preventing municipalities from using local resources to help convert warehouses into immigration detention facilities operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The effort, led by state Sen. Julia Salazar and Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha, comes as ICE considers converting a warehouse in the Town of Newburgh into a detention facility.
The proposal has drawn unanimous opposition from the Newburgh Town Board and Orange County Legislature. U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, who represents the area, is also among those backing the request.
“New Yorkers have made it clear that ICE is not welcome in our communities, an agency that murders people on the streets and kidnaps our neighbors,” said state Sen. Julia Salazar.
The lawmakers argue that ICE has increasingly relied on state and local infrastructure, including resources needed to support detention facilities, while local communities bear the impact. They are asking Hochul to prevent municipalities from modifying or providing those resources for warehouse conversions intended for immigration detention.
The push follows the Aug. 25 effective date of New York’s Dignity Not Detention law, which prohibits state and local facilities from being used for immigration detention and requires existing ICE detention agreements to end. The lawmakers say additional action is needed to address attempts to establish detention capacity through warehouse conversions.
The issue has particular relevance for Brooklyn, where immigrant communities make up a significant part of the borough’s population and where Salazar represents a Brooklyn district in the state Senate. The effort also reflects a broader statewide debate over how much local infrastructure should be made available to federal immigration enforcement.
The lawmakers are asking Hochul to act through an executive order rather than waiting for the state Legislature to return and consider additional legislation. The request follows growing opposition to the Newburgh proposal and could affect how similar warehouse conversions are handled elsewhere in New York.
