County executives dispute federal designation

Officials from Dutchess and Putnam counties say they should not have been listed with New York State and other localities, including Beacon, on a roster of jurisdictions the Department of Homeland Security accused of "obstructing" the Trump administration's effort to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

The list, posted by DHS on Thursday (May 29) to comply with a presidential order, includes more than 500 jurisdictions, including New York state, 15 of its counties and 12 of its cities, identifying them as "sanctuaries" for immigrants who live in the country without authorization. [Update: the list was removed by DHS on June 1 but is archived here.]

Those states and municipalities, also including Orange and Westchester counties and Newburgh and Poughkeepsie, are accused by the DHS of "deliberately and shamefully obstructing" federal immigration enforcement and protecting "dangerous criminal aliens."

The agency demanded that they "immediately review and revise their policies to align with federal immigration laws," but also cautioned that the list was subject to change and "no one should act on this information without conducting their own evaluation" of the municipalities.

On Friday (May 30), Kevin Byrne, the Putnam executive, said: "Let's set the record straight: Putnam County is not a sanctuary county and never will be on my watch as county executive. We have consistently worked with our partners in law enforcement and encourage the continued collaboration and sharing of information with all federal, state and local law enforcement."

Despite Putnam being named by DHS as a sanctuary jurisdiction, Byrne also on May 30 posted on Facebook a video in which he accused "liberal journalists at the Wall Street Journal," which published a story about the agency's announcement, of "inaccurately" adding Putnam to the list "before gathering all the facts." He added that "the biased media is wrong and needs to get the facts straight."

In Dutchess, County Executive Sue Serino said on Friday that the county has contacted its federal representatives - Sens. Kirsten Gillebrand and Chuck Schumer and U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan - "for further clarity" and help getting the county removed from the list. "It is unclear how this list was developed, as DHS has not contacted us with any concerns, and the Dutchess County Legislature has never adopted any resolution relating to sanctuary jurisdiction," said Serino.

On Monday (June 2), Beacon Mayor Lee Kyriacou read a statement at the City Council meeting: "It is absolutely not the case that the city is deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws. While the city has yet to receive any formal communication from the federal government, we remain confident the city is abiding by all applicable state and federal laws and judicial orders. Our city and our Police Department remain committed to protecting public safety, and any statements to the contrary are misleading and inaccurate."

Neither Dutchess or Putnam has approved policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities, and Dutchess sued New York City in 2023 when it began contracting with hotels in the Hudson Valley to house immigrants.

That same year, Byrne and the Putnam Legislature adopted a resolution declaring the county a "rule of law" jurisdiction and pledging cooperation with federal immigration officers to identify "arrested felons and gang-associated" individuals suspected of being in the country illegally.

Beacon restricted its role in immigration enforcement during the first Trump administration, when the City Council in April 2017 unanimously passed a resolution declaring the city to be "welcoming, safe and inclusive."

Its resolution deliberately avoided the word sanctuary (Trump had threatened to withhold funding from "sanctuary cities") but said that city employees and officials will not "stop, question, interrogate, investigate or arrest an individua...