Representatives Lee Zeldin and Peter King sent letters to law enforcement officials in Nassau and Suffolk counties urging them to evade a recent court order preventing county jails from holding immigrants based purely on non-judicial detainers issued by ICE.
Zeldin and King urged the sheriffs of both counties to honor these detainers and to keep ICE in the county jails.
Republican Reps. Lee Zeldin and Peter King on Thursday urged the Nassau and Suffolk County sheriffs to comply with all federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests and maintain ICE’s presence in correctional facilities.
The letter expressed “deep concerns” about the state court ruling barring the arrest and holding of immigrants for purposes other than violations of state criminal laws.
“This decision by the Appellate Division of New York State Supreme Court will set a dangerous precedent for sanctuary jurisdictions to legally deny compliance with ICE officials,” wrote King and Zeldin. “Sanctuary policies that allow criminal illegal immigrants to evade justice should be denounced.”
The two counties are not following “sanctuary policies,” they are enforcing a ruling against them by a state appelate court. Urging the sheriffs to ignore the law is outrageous.
Please call Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and Suffolk Sheriff Erol Toulon and urge them to reject the King and Zeldin letters.
Laura Curran: 516-571-3131
Errol Toulon: 631-852-2200
