EAST HAMPTON – The Town of East Hampton and the Village of East Hampton have both enacted local laws to prevent municipal police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. They’re the first municipalities in Suffolk to do so.
The Public Safety and Accountability Law passed the East Hampton Town Board unanimously. It also requires local police to track activity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the area and report it to local officials.
This coincides with an eleventh-hour package of bills signed by Governor Kathy Hochul (D-Hamburg) that prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal authorities under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. That section is what permits the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deputize state and local law partners to enforce federal immigration law.
Congressman Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) has warned East Hampton that the adoption of such policies could result in a loss of Community Project Funding (CPF) for FY2028.
“I am committed to stopping the spread of these dangerous sanctuary policies further into Suffolk by encouraging jurisdictions to choose additional federal resources and stronger public safety partnerships rather than following the Mamdani-Hochul agenda,” wrote LaLota in his letter after the adoption of the laws. “Local leaders are free to embrace Mamdani and Hochul’s sanctuary agenda in pursuit of support from the Far Left, but they should also be prepared to forgo federal funding opportunities that should be reserved for communities committed to public safety, the rule of law, and cooperation with federal partners.”
LaLota added that his priorities are “supporting local governments that demonstrate responsible governance, cooperation with federal agencies, and a commitment to public safety and the rule of law.”
It’s also a rare strike of unity between East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez (D-Springs) and East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen (D). The two have been pitted against one another in a heated match, primarily over affordable housing growth in the county’s easternmost town. Burke-Gonzalez decisively won the Democratic Primary over Larsen on Tuesday night, capturing over 62% of the town-wide vote.
LaLota said the recent developments in East Hampton have “more to do with the fact that their leaders are competing against one another in a Democratic primary and are more focused on proving who can be more ‘Mamdani’ than the other.”
Furthermore, LaLota said that federal-local cooperation on immigration enforcement is what’s allowed Long Island to avoid the “kind of tragedy we recently saw in Minnesota.” He also posited that “every Far Left immigration policy choice” – such as repealing “Remain in Mexico,” loosened asylum requirements, and taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal immigrants – have “come at the expense of taxpayers and public safety.”
LaLota’s office says that the two-term Congressman has secured more than $41.2 million in CPF dollars for “local priorities” across Suffolk, including clear water, infrastructure, and public safety projects “regardless of the political affiliation of local officials.” About $43 million in additional requests are currently pending for FY2027 consideration.
LaLota’s letter was sent to Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches), the supervisors of the eight towns within NY-01, and the mayors of the 23 incorporated villages that are within his district.
