New York governor slams ICE over family detention as deportation crackdown intensifies
Pranjal Chandra | Apr 02, 2025, 19:21 IST
( Image credit : Getty Images )
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and advocacy groups criticize ICE for detaining a mother and her three children in New York, transferring them to Texas. The family's detention has sparked outrage, with local community and leaders calling it cruel and demanding their immediate return.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and a coalition of advocacy groups have strongly condemned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the detention of a mother and her three children in upstate New York. The arrest, part of a broader push by the Trump administration to ramp up deportations, has sparked public outcry and raised questions about the treatment of immigrants under the administration’s policies.
The New York Immigration Coalition, a prominent immigrant rights organization, reported that the family, including an elementary school student, was apprehended by ICE agents at a dairy farm in Sackets Harbor, a small town near the Canadian border. The detainees were subsequently transported over 1,800 miles to Karnes County Detention Facility in Texas, a move that Hochul and immigration advocates have decried as inhumane and unjustified.
The detention comes amid President Donald Trump’s renewed efforts to expedite deportations of non-citizens. Hochul, in a statement Tuesday, blasted ICE’s actions, saying they far exceeded what was promised to the American public as necessary immigration enforcement.
“I have worked across administrations on immigration, but I cannot comprehend how ripping an innocent family from their home serves any public safety purpose,” Hochul said. “This is not enforcement—it is cruelty. I am demanding answers from ICE and calling for the immediate return of this family to New York.”
ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the case. However, under the Trump administration’s revised immigration policy, federal agencies have been directed to increase removals of individuals who entered the country without legal status, even if they have pending asylum cases or are actively complying with court orders.
The news of the family's detention has sent shockwaves through Sackets Harbor, a close-knit community in Jefferson County. Jennifer Gaffney, Superintendent of the Sackets Harbor Central School District, described the impact on local students and staff, calling it a "tragic and deeply unsettling event."
“At Sackets Harbor Central School District, we view ourselves as a family, and right now, some of our family members are hurting,” Gaffney said. “We are working tirelessly to support our students and their peers who are struggling with this situation.”
The district has deployed counselors and encouraged students to write letters of support for their detained classmates. Meanwhile, the Democratic Committee of Jefferson County has organized a peaceful protest for Saturday, where demonstrators plan to march past the home of Tom Homan, Trump’s immigration czar and a Sackets Harbor resident. Organizers insist the rally is not an anti-Trump demonstration but a call for humane immigration policies.
While ICE has yet to publicly clarify why the family was targeted, reports suggest agents originally arrived at the farm seeking to arrest Marcell Meyer, a 43-year-old South African national facing federal charges for distributing child sexual abuse material. Meyer was arrested and is now in federal custody, but seven other individuals at the scene were also taken into ICE custody under unclear circumstances.
Murad Awawdeh, President of the New York Immigration Coalition, questioned the legality of the family’s detention, saying that they were actively complying with immigration court requirements.
“This is not about enforcing immigration laws; this is about intimidation,” Awawdeh said. “ICE has taken a family that was playing by the rules and thrown them into a system designed to break them.”
The situation has reignited debate over the Trump administration’s approach to immigration, particularly in states like New York, where local leaders have repeatedly clashed with federal immigration authorities. Hochul’s strong rebuke marks a significant moment in the ongoing fight between state and federal policies regarding undocumented immigrants.
With national elections looming, immigration has once again become a polarizing issue. Trump’s renewed push for mass deportations has been met with fierce resistance from Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups, who argue that the administration’s approach lacks due process and needlessly punishes families who have lived in the U.S. for years.
As pressure mounts, it remains to be seen whether ICE will respond to the calls for transparency and accountability in this case. For now, the mother and her three children remain detained in Texas, far from their home and community, while local and state officials continue to fight for their release.
The New York Immigration Coalition, a prominent immigrant rights organization, reported that the family, including an elementary school student, was apprehended by ICE agents at a dairy farm in Sackets Harbor, a small town near the Canadian border. The detainees were subsequently transported over 1,800 miles to Karnes County Detention Facility in Texas, a move that Hochul and immigration advocates have decried as inhumane and unjustified.
ICE’s expanding immigration crackdown
“I have worked across administrations on immigration, but I cannot comprehend how ripping an innocent family from their home serves any public safety purpose,” Hochul said. “This is not enforcement—it is cruelty. I am demanding answers from ICE and calling for the immediate return of this family to New York.”
ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the case. However, under the Trump administration’s revised immigration policy, federal agencies have been directed to increase removals of individuals who entered the country without legal status, even if they have pending asylum cases or are actively complying with court orders.
Local community rallies for the family’s return
“At Sackets Harbor Central School District, we view ourselves as a family, and right now, some of our family members are hurting,” Gaffney said. “We are working tirelessly to support our students and their peers who are struggling with this situation.”
The district has deployed counselors and encouraged students to write letters of support for their detained classmates. Meanwhile, the Democratic Committee of Jefferson County has organized a peaceful protest for Saturday, where demonstrators plan to march past the home of Tom Homan, Trump’s immigration czar and a Sackets Harbor resident. Organizers insist the rally is not an anti-Trump demonstration but a call for humane immigration policies.
ICE’s justification for the raid remains unclear
Murad Awawdeh, President of the New York Immigration Coalition, questioned the legality of the family’s detention, saying that they were actively complying with immigration court requirements.
“This is not about enforcing immigration laws; this is about intimidation,” Awawdeh said. “ICE has taken a family that was playing by the rules and thrown them into a system designed to break them.”
Broader political fallout
With national elections looming, immigration has once again become a polarizing issue. Trump’s renewed push for mass deportations has been met with fierce resistance from Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups, who argue that the administration’s approach lacks due process and needlessly punishes families who have lived in the U.S. for years.
As pressure mounts, it remains to be seen whether ICE will respond to the calls for transparency and accountability in this case. For now, the mother and her three children remain detained in Texas, far from their home and community, while local and state officials continue to fight for their release.