Immigrant-rights and community groups will hold a rally Saturday outside the Cayuga County Courthouse in Auburn opposing local law enforcement cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The rally is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sept. 5 on the sidewalk outside the courthouse at 152 Genesee St. Organizers said participants from across the Finger Lakes will call on Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck to withdraw his support for a legal challenge to New York's Local Cops, Local Crimes Act.
The state law, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in May, generally bars state and local law enforcement agencies from entering or remaining in federal 287(g) agreements that deputize local officers to perform civil immigration enforcement functions. It also limits the use of local detention facilities for people held solely on federal civil immigration violations.
The law does not prevent state or local agencies from working with federal authorities on criminal investigations or detaining people accused of crimes. Supporters say it is intended to keep local officers and taxpayer-funded resources focused on local public-safety work.
Organizers said Schenck has joined a lawsuit challenging the law and want him to end his involvement. Their release argues that local cooperation with ICE can make immigrant residents less willing to go to work, seek medical care, attend school, worship or otherwise participate in community life.
The event is co-sponsored by the Finger Lakes Rapid Response Network, Indivisible Cayuga and the Party for Socialism and Liberation-Upstate New York. The groups said the rally will also oppose local collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Larry Buffam, a Cayuga County resident and member of Finger Lakes Rapid Response, said organizers object to using local agencies to assist federal immigration enforcement. He criticized the federal administration's immigration policies and questioned Schenck's support for the legal challenge.
Kelly Doolittle, another Cayuga County resident and Finger Lakes Rapid Response member, said local taxpayer money should instead support due-process protections, including judicial warrants and access to legal representation. She also said immigrant families and workers are an important part of the Cayuga County community.
The release listed Hannah Dickinson as the press contact for the event. Organizers did not list an advance registration requirement for people planning to attend.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.