Fifteen New York county sheriffs, including those in Delaware and Orange counties, have sued the state over a new law that prohibits local law enforcement agencies from entering into cooperation agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, the same day the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act took effect. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the law in May.

Among the sheriffs challenging the law are Delaware County Sheriff Craig DuMond and Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta. The other plaintiffs are the sheriffs of Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Franklin, Fulton, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oswego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, St. Lawrence, and Wayne counties.

The law bars local authorities from entering into formal or informal cooperation agreements with ICE. It also prohibits local jails, juvenile detention centers and youth detention facilities from holding people on civil immigration charges.

The sheriffs’ lawsuit argues that agreements known as 287(g) agreements are authorized by Congress and that New York does not have the authority to prevent elected county sheriffs from participating in them, according to court papers.

Delaware County Sheriff Craig DuMond said in a press statement that the new state law is reminiscent of a “king rule.”

“This new law directly interferes with the decisions of independently elected Sheriffs to determine what is best for their individuals counties and constituents. More importantly, this interference erodes the sovereignty of the Office of Sheriff and represents a direct violation of our independent powers granted in the constitution,” said DuMond.

While Delaware County doesn’t have a 287(g) agreement, DuMond said that Delaware County has “benefited from a contract with the US Marshall’s Service to board prisoners charged with federal crimes” that has generated more than $11 million for the county since 2004. While this federal contract is not at risk, DuMond says he’s worried that the new state law sets a precedent for other arrangements with the federal government.

“We, the people of Delaware County, know what is best for Delaware County, not the Governor or the State Legislature… let’s keep it that way!” said DuMond in the statement.

Hochul and state Attorney General Letitia James said that the legislation is intended to ensure local public safety resources remain focused on local crime rather than federal immigration enforcement.

“As we have said from the start, the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act keeps New Yorkers safe by ensuring public safety resources go toward combating crime in our communities, not carrying out the work of ICE,” Hochul and James said in a joint statement.

They called the lawsuit “a frivolous waste of taxpayer dollars” and said courts have already declined to block the law. They said they expect New York law enforcement agencies to comply with the legislation while the legal challenge proceeds.

Image: Along with state law enforcement officers, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on August 25, 2026, in Albany that the statewide ban on 287(g) agreements in the Local Cops, Local Crime Act has taken effect. (Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)