The Department of Homeland Security released data showing that New York state failed to honor 16,070 federal immigration detention requests (detainers) between January 2025 and October 2026, according to the agency. DHS attributed the non-compliance to New York's sanctuary policies, which legally restrict state and local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The detainers involved individuals with 52,503 total criminal charges and convictions, according to DHS. These included 131 homicides, 132 kidnappings, 1,017 sexual offenses, 1,561 driving under the influence cases, 1,631 burglaries, 1,776 robberies, 2,198 weapons offenses, 4,324 drug offenses, and 9,502 assaults.
The announcement follows months of escalating conflict between federal immigration authorities and New York over enforcement cooperation. In May 2026, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation barring state and local police departments from partnering with federal immigration agents. The law took effect on August 25, 2026. Federal immigration officials formally notified New York's Attorney General in December 2025 of the state's failure to honor detainers.