admin
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is doing what Democratic-run big cities refuse to do: putting the safety of hardworking Long Islanders first by partnering with federal immigration authorities to enforce the law. While coastal elites cheer sanctuary policies that invite chaos, Nassau has stepped up with a common-sense agreement to help ICE remove criminal aliens and protect neighborhoods. This is the kind of leadership voters expected when they chose a Republican to run the county.
The program Blakeman announced uses the federal 287(g) framework and gives Nassau the tools to cooperate with ICE — including cross-designating 10 detectives and leasing space for federal detainees at county facilities. County officials report hundreds of detainees already held under the arrangement and the county is on track to process roughly 3,000 people this year as the program ramps up. Law-abiding residents deserve to know their leaders will not stand idly by while criminals exploit loopholes.
Make no mistake, this is about public safety, not punishment of hardworking immigrants. Blakeman has been explicit: the focus is on people who commit crimes and flout our laws, not on families who come here legally and contribute. Local leaders have a duty to remove dangerous offenders and to ease the burden on schools, hospitals, and taxpayers strained by unchecked migration.
Of course, the professional left and its activist allies immediately sued, spinning fearmongering narratives about racial profiling and civil-rights violations to score political points. New York-based advocacy groups and the NYCLU have brought legal challenges arguing the county exceeded state limits on cooperation with federal immigration agents. Predictably, Democrats would rather grandstand in court than secure borders and enforce laws that keep communities safe.
Any death in custody is a tragedy and should be investigated thoroughly, but the left’s reflexive politicization of isolated incidents is transparent. Critics seized on the death of a detainee in a Nassau facility to delegitimize the entire program, while ignoring the broader point that unchecked illegal immigration brings real public-safety risks. Blakeman and county officials have pledged oversight and accountability even as they defend the program’s necessity.
Meanwhile, the backlash has hardened into contempt from some quarters — vandalism targeting pro-law-enforcement signs and ugly anti-ICE slogans show how toxic the rhetoric has become among the left’s fringe. That hostility only underscores the need for elected conservatives to stand firm, defend law enforcement, and reject the chaos of sanctuary policies. Nassau’s voters want order and common-sense enforcement; their leaders should not cower to mobs or political pressure.
Bruce Blakeman is doing the hard, necessary work that too many Democrats avoid: defending citizens, holding criminals accountable, and cooperating with federal partners to restore order. Legal fights will come, and they should be fought in the courts, but policy must follow common sense and the rule of law, not left-wing ideology. Patriots across Long Island and the nation should applaud leaders who choose safety and sovereignty over sanctuary and surrender.
