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Vetted coverage of Governor Hochul's administration, grouped by day. Every item names its publication and carries a source-credibility tier — Tier 1 primary/wire, Tier 2 established outlet, Tier 3 secondary. No spin; each story links to its original source.

8 items

Aug 28, 2026

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Long Island Patch (Tom Gambardella)TIER 2High

Nassau's sheriff has not joined the 287(g) suit; judge sets briefing schedule with state response due Sept. 9

Plaintiffs' attorney Mateo Forero-Norena confirmed Aug 28 that acting Nassau Sheriff Robert Matarazzo has not yet joined Bourgault v. Hochul, despite Blakeman saying Wednesday he directed the sheriff's office to join; talks about adding him are ongoing. Judge Mae D'Agostino (NDNY) issued an order to show cause on the sheriffs' TRO/preliminary-injunction motion: the state (James, Hochul, NYS) must respond by Sept. 9 at 5 p.m., with the sheriffs' reply due Sept. 16 at 5 p.m. The requested TRO would bar enforcement of the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act and any voiding of existing 287(g) agreements.

Aug 26, 2026

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Police1 / syracuse.com (Tribune Content Agency)TIER 2High

Blakeman's running mate, Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood, is a named plaintiff in the sheriffs' suit against Hochul

Court papers name all fifteen sheriffs who sued in the Northern District of New York on Aug. 25, the day the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act took effect: Broome (Frederick Akshar), Cattaraugus (Eric Butler), Cayuga (Brian Schenck), Delaware (Craig DuMond), Franklin (Jay Cook), Fulton (Richard Giardino), Jefferson (Peter Barnett), Lewis (Michael Carpinelli), Madison (Todd Hood), Orange (Paul Arteta), Oswego (Don Hilton), Rensselaer (Kyle Bourgault), Saratoga (Jeffrey Brown), St. Lawrence (Patrick Engle) and Wayne (Robert Milby). Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James and the State of New York are named defendants. Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood is Bruce Blakeman's running mate on the Republican ticket, so a candidate on the GOP statewide slate is now a plaintiff against the governor his ticket is trying to unseat. Hood entered Madison County into a 287(g) agreement in July 2025, was warned by the AG's office in July 2026, agreed to end the agreement as the law requires, and said he still intends to honor ICE detainer requests at the county jail. Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley, who declined to cooperate with ICE in 2025, is not a plaintiff. The suit argues the agreements are authorized by Congress and that no state executive can bar independently elected sheriffs from entering them.

Aug 15, 2026

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News10 NBCTIER 2High

Blakeman defends Nassau's ICE deal on the response deadline: "the most comprehensive agreement with ICE in the United States"

On Aug 14 — the day Nassau's written response to the state's wind-down notice was due — Blakeman publicly defended the county's 287(g) agreement, calling it "the most comprehensive agreement with ICE in the United States of America" and disputing Hochul's description of it as cruel. He said the partnership produced the removal of 2,000 migrants with criminal records in one year without raids at churches, daycare centers, schools or hospitals. Nassau police and the sheriff remain among the seven agencies that have not agreed to unwind before the Aug 25 statutory deadline.

Aug 14, 2026

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Governor's Office / AG James (via Wellsville Sun)TIER 2High

Hochul and James: 5 of 12 agencies will drop ICE deals; Nassau police and sheriff among 7 holdouts with 11 days left

On the Aug 14 status-report deadline, Hochul and AG James issued a joint statement: of the 12 law enforcement agencies notified under the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, five have told the state they intend to comply. The seven holdouts — including the Nassau County Sheriff's Office and Police Department — have 11 days until the Aug 25 date when all 287(g) agreements become void by statute. Steuben Sheriff Allard, one of the holdouts, argues no "unwinding" is required since the law voids the agreements automatically, and calls the mandate politically driven. Nassau's formal response to the AG (due 5pm Aug 14) had not been made public at run time.

Aug 6, 2026

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WAMC / NCPR / CBS6 AlbanyTIER 2High

287(g) compliance splits upstate counties: Rensselaer defies wind-down order as St. Lawrence unwinds and Saratoga sheriff backs lawsuit

With the Aug. 25 deadline to terminate 287(g) ICE agreements under the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act approaching — and the NDNY ruling upholding the state ban now in hand — the 12 affected agencies are splitting. St. Lawrence County's sheriff says his agreement is "dead in the water" (NCPR, Aug. 5). Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin and Sheriff Kyle Bourgault say they will not comply ("I will defy you"), drawing resident backlash at a county meeting (CBS6). Saratoga County's sheriff backs a planned lawsuit against the state ban (WAMC, Aug. 4). Nassau's written response is still due Aug. 14. The compliance split sets up the next test of the law Hochul and AG James are enforcing.

Jun 23, 2026

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Jun 1, 2026

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May 29, 2026

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