A New York municipal law enforcement agency assisting the Trump administration in its crackdown on illegal immigrants is the subject of a misconduct investigation by State Attorney General Letitia James.
Documents detailing any collaboration between local law enforcement and federal agencies, such as Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, were requested by the AG’s office from Oswego County Sheriff Don Hilton.
In addition to requesting paperwork on officers’ training on federal immigration enforcement, the office sent a letter to Oswego County Sheriff Don Hilton requesting that he surrender any agreements the office may have with any federal agency “concerning the enforcement of federal immigration law.”
Citing a part of state law on official misconduct, the letter requested a report of all traffic stops the office had been involved in as well as any immigration enforcement training.
Lillian Marquez, deputy bureau chief of the AG’s Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office, wrote in the June 11 letter, “Attorney General is conducting an investigation pursuant to New York Executive Law § 75(3) and has reasonable cause to believe that the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office has information relevant to that investigation.”
Any records or information pertaining to ICE detainer requests including the identification, arrest, or detention of individuals who have “allegedly violated immigration law” must be turned over by the sheriff, according to the AG.
Additionally requested are all conversations that take place during traffic stops between any member of the sheriff’s office and Homeland Security or any of its sub-agency, such as CBP and ICE.
“The Office of the Attorney General does not ‘target’ New York counties for cooperating with the federal government; the Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office reviews matters concerning potential violations of New Yorkers’ civil rights,” according to the spokesperson. “It is wrong to inaccurately speculate about our office’s ongoing work with local law enforcement – especially when coming from extremist politicians with partisan agendas.”
Allegations of corruption, such as those involving excessive force, fraud, or criminal behavior, are received by the office and investigated. It was unclear at first whether there had been official accusations of civil rights breaches in Oswego, which has experienced a number of high-profile federal immigration sweeps.
In 2017, then-Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order that prohibits police enforcement from assisting in the investigation, arrest, or deportation of illegal immigrants in New York State. This order was later extended by Governor Kathy Hochul.
“Law enforcement officers have no authority to take any police action solely because the person is an undocumented alien,” according to the Sept. 15, 2017 order.
A similar letter was sent earlier this year to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office on allegations that it was involved in the “enforcement of federal civil immigration law.”
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James will probably target more counties in the days ahead, according to sources familiar with the letter, but no other counties will receive letters with the same scope as Oswego.
During a heated congressional committee meeting last week, Upstate Representative Elise Stefanik questioned Hochul on New York’s sanctuary policy and criticized James for calling for a “war against law enforcement.”
Stefanik, who is considering a run for governor next year, told that “Kathy Hochul and Tish James’ New York is illegals first, New Yorkers last.”
This is an extension of the fight against law enforcement waged by NY Democrats and Kathy Hochul. Kathy Hochul embarrassed everyone in New York just last week when she didn’t know that illegals were raped, burned alive, and molested, among other terrible crimes, against New Yorkers.
Stefanik stated that she supports “President Trump, federal law enforcement, and our County Sheriffs who are fulfilling their constitutional oaths and working every day to restore law and order in our communities.”
While Trump’s Justice Department is looking into her for potential mortgage fraud in her private real estate dealings, James is probing New York law enforcement agencies for helping the federal government execute immigration law. As merely political retaliation, she refuted the allegations.
AG James’ decision to look into the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office for misconduct for collaborating with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement was deemed “unbelievable” by a senior official at the US Department of Homeland Security.
