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New Yorkers Arrested by ICE Are Choosing Departure Over Indefinite Detention

Twenty-two percent of people arrested by ICE in New York state during Trump’s second term have left the country voluntarily — up from less than 1 percent under Biden.

Liv Veazey   ·   April 21, 2026
Local Police in Westchester, Long Island Routinely Help ICE Make Arrests

A review of federal court documents by THE CITY reveals three dozen cases in which local law enforcement allegedly cooperated with ICE agents.

Gwynne Hogan   ·   April 16, 2026
ICE Is Trying to Send Hundreds of New York’s African Asylum Seekers to a Country They’re Not From

Over the last three months, ICE attorneys in New York state have petitioned to send half of the African asylum seekers who had immigration hearings to Uganda.

Liv Veazey   ·   March 18, 2026
State Legislature Proposes Major Boost to Immigrant Legal Services

The governor and legislature are negotiating over immigration legislation outside of the budget process.

Liv Veazey   ·   March 11, 2026
‘I Was Just Desperate to Find a Lawyer’: Three Journeys Through New York’s Asylum Maze

It’s almost impossible to win an asylum case without an attorney. Finding one is a tall order.

Liv Veazey   ·   February 26, 2026
ICE Collaboration and Prisons in Crisis: Four Questions for State Law Enforcement

A hearing Thursday gives lawmakers an opportunity to grill police and prison leaders.

Chris Gelardi   ·   February 11, 2026
Hochul Proposed Banning ICE Collaboration Contracts. Here’s What You Need to Know.

The bill would dissolve contracts that allow federal immigration authorities to use county jails, but would leave more informal collaboration with local law enforcement untouched.

Liv Veazey   ·   January 31, 2026
Police Department Retrains Officers on Immigration Enforcement Policies After New York Focus Investigation

Some officials and residents in Cheektowaga want a broader overhaul of their cops’ interactions with immigration agents.

Isabelle Taft   ·   January 23, 2026
Mamdani and Hochul are Looking Cozy. Can it Last?

A sweeping child care expansion and opposition to President Trump have united them, but significant divisions remain.

Sam Mellins   ·   January 15, 2026
Hochul Stays Mum on Sanctuary Bill: State of the State 2026

Immigrant rights advocates and some lawmakers welcomed her proposals, but said that the measures don’t go far enough.

Liv Veazey   ·   January 14, 2026
Covering the 2026 State of the State

Here’s what our reporters will be watching for during Governor Kathy Hochul’s agenda-setting address that will kick off state budget negotiations.

New York Focus   ·   January 12, 2026
In This Buffalo Suburb, a Brush With Mall Security Can Lead to Arrest by Border Patrol

In at least one case, police may have violated a state court ruling prohibiting local law enforcement from conducting civil immigration enforcement.

Isabelle Taft   ·   November 26, 2025
Trump Administration Illegally Scrapped Protections for Abused Immigrant Youth, Judge Finds

The ruling allows young immigrants who have suffered abuse and neglect to apply for protections from deportation — at least for now.

Isabelle Taft   ·   November 20, 2025
Crossing Coalitions on the New York City Council: A Q&A With Susan Zhuang

The conservative Democrat is sounding more like her progressive colleagues as she tries to protect immigrant constituents from the Trump administration.

Isabelle Taft   ·   November 19, 2025
A photo collage of Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani over either side of a photo from a No Kings protest, with a sign shaped like a hand in the middle reading "Hey Trump! Hands off our cities."
Trump Said a Mamdani Win Could Trigger a National Guard Deployment. What Can the Mayor-Elect Do?

State officials and local activists may be more influential, but the mayor still has a role to play.

Isabelle Taft   ·   November 5, 2025
New York Teen Returns Home After Judge Rules His ICE Detention Illegal

After nearly three months behind bars, Carlos Guerra Leon spent an extra night in a Louisiana detention center after officers and local ICE officials said they didn’t get the court’s order.

Isabelle Taft   ·   November 1, 2025
Homeland Security Is Billing Immigrant Kids $5,000

The Trump administration is slapping unaccompanied teenagers with fees for crossing the border.

Isabelle Taft   ·   October 24, 2025
‘Not Much We Can Do’: Chinatown Raid Shows Limits of Local Power Against ICE Arrests

As legislators brace for more ICE arrests, they’re scrambling to figure out how to respond.

Isabelle Taft   ·   October 24, 2025
A box of books with a label reading "return to sender" sits on a metal table in front of prison bars.
New York’s Biggest ICE Detention Center Bans Book Deliveries

Rejected books include a Spanish-English dictionary, a Spanish translation of a George R.R. Martin novel, and “The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work.”

Isabelle Taft   ·   October 8, 2025
An unreachable phone seen from inside a jail cell.
ICE Detainees in New York Jails Can’t Talk to Their Lawyers

Some immigrants held in county jails are struggling to access legal advice, phone calls, and even their own court hearings.

Julia Rock and Isabelle Taft   ·   October 6, 2025
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