Nassau County has quietly taken a very different path than New York City, choosing to partner with federal immigration authorities and lean into enforcement. Local leaders say the results are measurable: crime down, thousands of ICE cases processed, and a clearer line of communication with federal partners. The county executive warns that a leftward turn in the city could strain regional cooperation and make life harder for local cops.
New York City headlines are packed with sanctuary rhetoric and candidates promising radical change, while Nassau moved the other direction and signed up to work with federal immigration enforcement. The county trained a team of detectives to coordinate with ICE and set aside space in the jail to hold detainees for up to 72 hours. That setup is intentionally about giving officers the tools to remove violent offenders and repeat criminals from the streets quickly.
On the record the county executive made the point bluntly: “Our communication has never been better with ICE.” That phrase sums up the operational shift from finger pointing to cooperation. For law enforcement this kind of steady two-way communication can mean faster arrests and safer neighborhoods.
Local officials expanded the program and now have ten detectives cross-designated to work on ICE apprehensions and investigations. The county has reserved 50 jail cells to allow federal holds, which gives investigators a legal window to process deportation or criminal charges. Practically speaking, it is a belt-and-suspenders move to avoid letting dangerous people slip back into the community.
“It’s very clear,” he said. “When you look at the results here in Nassau County, any chief executive of any county or any city or town or village in New York state, or in America for that matter, should look very closely at reconsidering and cooperating with ICE because they’re doing a great job in keeping our county safer and they would do a great job keeping the rest of the communities throughout the United States safer if people work with them, instead of working against them.” Those are not abstract claims. The county points to concrete arrests and outcomes to back them up.
In September alone Nassau County Police worked with ICE to arrest 47 illegal immigrants, 28 of whom were involved with gang activity, including drug selling, attempted murder, carjacking and robbery. “That’s 47 people who won’t be preying on our communities going forward. So, I think it’s been tremendously successful,” he said. The tone is unapologetic: remove dangerous actors and protect law abiding residents.
The jail has processed more than 2,000 ICE cases since the partnership began, a volume that county leaders say is moving the needle. “That’s another 2,000 people that are off the streets of not only Nassau County, but the whole metropolitan area. So, we’re not only keeping Nassau County safe, but we’re also keeping the rest of the metropolitan area safe by cooperating with ICE,” he said. Those numbers are the kind of hard evidence local officials like to show when they talk about policy success.
Officials report crime in the county is down roughly 14 percent overall, while provisional data on opioid, fentanyl and other drug-related deaths show drops north of 20 percent compared with the prior year. Those shifts are the reason elected leaders argue enforcement-focused tools matter. Residents who felt the pandemic and a crime spike tightened their belts are noticing a difference when officers and prosecutors work with federal partners.
Still, the county executive is watching New York City’s mayoral race nervously and worries about the downstream effects if a far-left candidate takes charge. “I am very concerned that we will not get accurate intelligence from NYPD. I would be very concerned about sharing sensitive intelligence with NYPD. Certainly, I would be reticent to go on joint operations unless our detectives and our police officers were protected when they go into the city of New York.” That concern is practical: intelligence sharing and joint operations are the backbone of metropolitan policing.
“It will certainly make our life more difficult for our police officers and our corrections officers and our sheriffs,” he went on, adding, “It will make our job a lot harder, but we’ll do what we got to do to protect Nassau County.” He also did not hold back on his view of the candidate at the center of the campaign fight. “We’re hoping that the people of New York City see him for what he is. He’s a communist, he’s a virulent antisemite, and he’s someone that does not share American values. And he has said he wanted to defund the police, that he wants to use social workers instead of cops to investigate crimes. I mean, it’s just craziness coming out of this guy’s mouth. So, it’ll make our life more difficult if he becomes mayor, but we’ll do what we have to do.”
Local leaders are sticking to a simple promise: keep people safe by using every legal tool available and guard the cross-jurisdictional work that makes the region safer. “My number one job is to make sure that we have a very safe community. The fact that we’re the safest county in America and we’re one of the largest counties in America is a credit to our police officers, our sheriffs, and our cooperation with our federal agencies,” he said, adding that the ICE partnership has “worked even better than anticipated.” The message is clear: cooperation over ideology, and public safety first.
Darnell Thompkins is a conservative opinion writer from Atlanta, GA, known for his insightful commentary on politics, culture, and community issues. With a passion for championing traditional values and personal responsibility, Darnell brings a thoughtful Southern perspective to the national conversation. His writing aims to inspire meaningful dialogue and advocate for policies that strengthen families and empower individuals.