Hood said a warning letter he received Friday<\/a> from the attorney general\u2019s office was nothing more than a political stunt aimed at making \u201ca big splash before the election.\u201d<\/p>\n | RELATED: Choose the right real-time policing model for your agency<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis is going to affect me very little,\u201d Hood told syracuse.com<\/a> | The Post-Standard. \u201cI\u2019m still going to work with ICE. They can\u2019t prevent us from working with them.\u201d<\/p>\n A bill signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul in May bans state and local law enforcement agencies from helping the federal government in civil immigration enforcement cases. The ban takes effect on Aug. 25.<\/p>\n The state law prohibits local authorities from entering into formal or informal cooperation agreements with ICE. The law also bans local jails, juvenile detention centers and youth detention facilities from holding people on civil immigration charges.<\/p>\n Hood said he will terminate the Section 287(g) cooperation agreement his department signed with ICE, as required by New York\u2019s \u201cLocal Cops, Local Crimes Act.\u201d<\/p>\n But Hood said he still intends to work with ICE and honor its requests to detain and hand over any undocumented immigrants that come into custody at the Madison County jail.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen somebody comes into my jail with a criminal charge, and they\u2019re an illegal, they\u2019ll still get notified,\u201d Hood said of ICE. \u201cThey\u2019re still going to come pick them up. The only thing is I can\u2019t have a contract with them.\u201d<\/p>\n James and the Attorney General\u2019s Office had no comment Monday about Hood\u2019s plan to continue cooperating with ICE.<\/p>\n Hood is among 12 county sheriffs and local police chiefs who received warning letters from James\u2019 office Friday because of their formal agreements with ICE.<\/p>\n The new law specifically bans state and local governments or employees from cooperating with ICE in civil cases, even absent a formal agreement.<\/p>\n In the letter Friday, James\u2019 office warned that her new Office of Immigrant Trust <\/a>would take legal action against any local police or sheriff\u2019s department that continued to cooperate with ICE.<\/p>\n The issue may be settled before the state can file any lawsuit against Hood and the Madison County Sheriff\u2019s Department.<\/p>\n The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit aimed at overturning the \u201cLocal Police, Local Crimes Act\u201d on constitutional grounds. The federal lawsuit is pending in U.S. District Court in Albany.<\/p>\n Hood, who is also the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in November\u2019s election, said he sees no reason to change his longstanding policy to coordinate with any agency that asks for his department\u2019s assistance.<\/p>\n The sheriff, in office for nine years, said he has always honored requests from ICE to detain and hand over undocumented immigrants who are booked into the Madison County jail on other charges.<\/p>\n Hood said his department has honored seven detainer requests from ICE since September 2025. He said those cases involved people charged with rape, driving while intoxicated, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon.<\/p>\n Hood said his willingness to hand over people wanted in civil immigration enforcement cases has helped keep Madison County a safe place without causing major disruptions in the community.<\/p>\n \u201cThe majority of people that we deal with are coming into my jail on a criminal charge,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t have to go into people\u2019s houses. I don\u2019t have to go into their place of business or worship. They come to me. They\u2019ve already done something wrong. They don\u2019t belong in our country. And now they\u2019re committing a crime. So, it\u2019s time to go.\u201d<\/p>\n The new state law prohibits ICE and federal law enforcement officers from entering sensitive locations \u2013 such as schools, libraries, health care facilities, polling locations and homes \u2013 without a judicial warrant. The federal officers are also banned from wearing masks while on duty.<\/p>\n Hochul, commenting on the warning letters sent Friday, said it\u2019s important for New York to stand up against federal overreach with immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody is above the law,\u201d Hochul said. \u201cIn New York, we will not tolerate the diversion of local resources for federal civil immigration enforcement at the expense of public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n Hood dismissed Hochul\u2019s comments and the state\u2019s effort to rein in ICE as nothing more than politics. He\u2019s campaigning on a ticket this fall with Bruce Blakeman , the Republican nominee for governor.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just doesn\u2019t make any sense to me that they would implement laws like this,\u201d Hood said. \u201cYou know, the cops are out there trying to keep people safe. And it seems like in the past few years our biggest obstacle is not criminals. It\u2019s New York state government.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n The suspect allegedly shot the victim after a dispute involving the suspect\u2019s girlfriend; an LVMPD officer fired shots when he spotted the suspect running from the store with the gun\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n The Jefferson Police officer shot the suspect as he got out of his vehicle and ran at him with a knife; the suspect then stabbed the officer in the face\n <\/p>\n July 27, 2026 11:59 AM<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n South Lake Tahoe Police officers arrested the man for lowering the station\u2019s flag and attempting to ignite it\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n The suspect was shot and killed during an altercation with officers after he injured one with a knife, Madison Police stated; officers were not wearing body cameras\n <\/p>\n July 27, 2026 12:43 PM<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a92026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit syracuse.com<\/a>. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"US-NEWS-VIDEO-SHOWS-ARMED-MAN-ENTERING-5-LV.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785247269_472_.jpeg\")
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