Rensselaer County Defies New State Immigration Law | Albany News

Rensselaer County is defiantly rolling up its sleeves to ignore New York’s new state law banning local law enforcement from collaborating with federal immigration agencies — and they’re not alone. County Exec Steven McLaughlin has declared they’ll keep enforcing immigration agreements despite Attorney General letters demanding compliance by August 14. This isn’t just about local pride — it’s a high-stakes legal showdown. For 30 years, Rensselaer’s sheriff’s office has been the lone New York agency authorized to partner with ICE, using federal funds to detain, interrogate, and fingerprint immigrants in county jails — a system critics say keeps dangerous individuals off the streets. Now, with the state’s “Local Cops, Local Crimes Act” voiding these deals, Rensselaer’s leadership is preparing to sue — and they’re not backing down. This is a battle over federalism, funding, and who gets to decide what justice looks like on the ground. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/eabbeef0d5e53ea5