NY Gov Hochul says she’ll call ICE, help ‘get rid of’ migrants who commit crimes

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said she wants immigrants who have committed crimes to be deported. Hochul made the remark when she was asked if New York is a sanctuary state, a question she declined to answer directly.

“If someone breaks the law, I’ll be the first person to call up ICE and say ‘get them outta here’,” Hochul said during a news conference. 

Hochul has been under pressure to strengthen protections for immigrants as President-elect Donald Trump continues making plans for his mass deportation operation. The Immigrant Defense Project called on Hochul to support a bill in the state legislature that would prohibit local law enforcement from cooperating with, or in their words “colluding with,” ICE. 

“If there are other people who commit crimes or are known to be criminals before they arrive here, when those are identified, I’ll be the first one to help get rid of them; I don’t want them here,” Hochul said. “I don’t want anyone terrorizing my citizens.”

Hochul also made clear she wants every migrant who has legal status to have a work permit, including those with temporary legal status. 

“I have 460,000 open jobs in the state of New York. I want them to get the proper work permits, I want them to keep their Temporary Protected Status, if that’s what they have,” Hochul continued. “I want to make sure they’re part of contributing to society while they’re here.”

Hochul said the more than 220,000 migrants who have made their way to New York City since 2022 are here legally because many are seeking asylum and have pending cases. At least 58,000 of them are staying in city-funded shelters. The city signed a three-year, $220 million agreement with the Roosevelt Hotel in 2023 to rent out every one of its 1,025 rooms for $210 a night.