IN THE NEWS TODAY
Thursday, August 27, 2026
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS
NEW YORK
Bruce Blakeman to unwind Nassau’s ICE agreement, join sheriffs lawsuit against Hochul admin
New York Post — August 26, 2026
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman says the county will comply with New York’s Local Cops, Local Crimes Act by unwinding its formal ICE cooperation agreement while simultaneously joining the federal lawsuit challenging the law—a significant implementation development because Nassau had been among the jurisdictions resisting termination.
Topics: Nassau County | 287(g) | Federalism
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Fifteen New York Sheriffs Sue to Overturn State’s 287(g) Ban
Times Union | August 26, 2026
The sheriffs argue that New York cannot prohibit them from participating in formal ICE immigration-enforcement agreements. The lawsuit creates a significant new test of the state’s recently enacted immigration federalism framework.
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New York Attorney General Subpoenas Counties Over ICE Cooperation
Gothamist/WNYC | August 26, 2026
The Attorney General has begun enforcement against counties allegedly failing to comply with the state law requiring termination of 287(g) agreements, meaning the legal dispute now involves both a federal lawsuit and active state investigations.
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NY law banning ICE agreements may scuttle other federal contracts
Times Union — August 27, 2026
The Times Union reports that sheriffs challenging the state law argue its wording could also affect contracts under which county jails house other federal detainees, potentially creating fiscal consequences beyond immigration enforcement; that question adds a new operational dimension to litigation previously framed principally around 287(g) authority.
Topics: County Jails | Federal Contracts | Immigration Federalism
Read the Times Union report
FEDERAL POLICY & COURTS
Appeals Court Limits Federal Effort to Tie Grants to Immigration Policies
Reuters | August 25, 2026
A federal appeals court ruled that agencies cannot broadly condition transportation and homelessness grants on jurisdictions adopting administration immigration policies, reinforcing limits on the executive branch’s use of congressionally authorized funding to influence local policy.
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ICE Arrests Reach Nearly 50,000 in a Single Month
Associated Press | August 26, 2026
ICE arrested nearly 50,000 people in July, the highest monthly level of the current administration, providing new evidence of the expanding scale of interior immigration enforcement.
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IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION, RESEARCH & DATA
Independent monitor appointed to oversee conditions for immigrant children
The new judicial oversight of child detention stems from the continuing Flores litigation. Judge Gee’s order authorizes independent monitoring of conditions at the Dilley family detention center and border holding facilities after documented concerns about lengthy detention and access to care.
Topics: Flores Settlement | Children | Federal Courts
Read: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2026/08/18/parents-immigrant-camps-children-deportation-flores
IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION FACT OF THE DAY
Half of European-born New Yorkers age 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree.
IIIRP’s Immigrant Integration Fact Sheet reports that among European-born New Yorkers age 25 and older, 24.3% hold a bachelor’s degree and 25.4% hold a graduate or professional degree—49.7% combined. European-born New Yorkers number 701,572 statewide and constitute 15.8% of New York’s foreign-born population.
Source: IIIRP Data Gateway / Immigrant Integration Fact Sheet; U.S. Census American Community Survey, 2021, 1-year Selected Population Profiles.
Explore IIIRP’s Data Gateway