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Happy Wednesday! It’s Dan. We have a packed Capitol Confidential for you today.
First up, I have an update on the Trump administration’s lawsuit against New York over the state’s new laws targeted at ICE agents and immigration enforcement. Both sides are trying to boost their chances in the case.
Then we’ll tell you about a new audit from the state comptroller’s office that found calls made to the state’s domestic violence hotline often went unanswered and, in some cases, put up barriers to callers. The kicker: The vendor hosting the hotline will remain.
Over in the land of politics, Anthony Constantino got a big boost from top Republicans in the U.S. House Wednesday in his bid for NY-21, which remains a messy situation, and Bruce Blakeman received hundreds of thousands of dollars in matching funds.
Plus, a state judge has ruled against Melissa DeRosa’s effort to have more of her legal bills paid for by the state and, later, I’ll tell you about a bill intended to increase transparency in New York’s criminal courts.
Names in today’s CapCon: Bruce Blakeman, Anthony Constantino, Melissa DeRosa, Letitia James, Kathy Hochul, Andrew M. Cuomo, Kelli Owens, Robert Smullen, Elise Stefanik, Gerard Kassar, Donald J. Trump, Mike Johnson, Steve Scalise, Tom Emmer, Lisa McClain, Matt Simpson, Chris Tague, Ken Blankenbush, Mark Walczyk, Todd Hood, Chris Burdick, Mike Gianaris, Judy Griffin, Peter Harckham
New York Attorney General Letitia James and Gov. Kathy Hochul (New York Govenror’s Office)
⚖️ New York seeks to move ICE litigation with DOJ to Albany federal court
New York is accusing the U.S. Department of Justice of “forum-shopping” in its lawsuit against the state over new laws targeting ICE agents and federal immigration enforcement.
But the state, at the same time, is now seeking to have the case transferred from a federal court in Buffalo to one in Albany that’s already ruled in favor of New York in other litigation involving immigration policy.
The U.S. Department of Justice sued New York last month over laws tucked into this year’s state budget that prohibit law enforcement officers, including ICE agents, from wearing masks and require them to identify themselves in some way while on duty.
The lawsuit also seeks to invalidate part of the state budget that prohibits local law enforcement agencies from entering into formal 287(g) agreements with the federal government.
Those agreements allow local law enforcement officers to directly assist ICE with immigration enforcement, including through arrests and detention of immigrants, in exchange for federal funding.
The law does not prohibit law enforcement officers from informally cooperating with ICE. If they suspect someone of being a noncitizen, those officers can still contact ICE to tip them off.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed its lawsuit against those provisions in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York last month, arguing that the state was unlawfully attempting to regulate federal immigration enforcement.
New York is now seeking to have the case transferred to the Northern District, writing in a motion in the case that the federal government filed it in Buffalo to boost its chances of success.
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