Cattaraugus County Sheriff Eric Butler is taking direct aim at Gov. Kathy Hochul over New York’s move to curb local cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The upstate sheriff made clear he will not stay silent as the state presses counties to drop their existing 287(g) agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Butler, a Republican, drew attention online after responding forcefully to the Hochul administration’s efforts to end those arrangements. The agreements allow local jails to hold detainees for ICE, and New York’s new sanctuary laws include a ban on them. Butler said Hochul does not know Cattaraugus County better than he does and argued that she does not patrol the roads, run the jail, answer residents’ calls, or stand with the sheriff’s office every day.
He also accused Albany of imposing costs and policies on local communities while expecting taxpayers to cover the bill. In his remarks, Butler said the state continually dictates how local governments must operate, what programs they must provide, and how they must police their communities. He said the message from Albany amounts to: “they make the rules, we pay the bills and we’re expected to keep our mouths shut.” Butler added, “I wont,” and said the governor cannot question his department’s commitment to public safety simply because he will not “blindly accept every policy that comes out of Albany.”
The dispute reflects a broader fight over sanctuary policy in New York, where the Democrat-dominated legislature approved a package of new measures in its last session. Butler said Albany should be held responsible for the consequences of the laws it passes, the mandates it imposes, the financial burden it places on local taxpayers, and the public-safety rules it pushes on communities far from the capital. He said cooperation with federal immigration authorities does not mean he is uninterested in keeping his community safe.
