Federal authorities have launched an investigation into the release of an undocumented immigrant by an upstate New York sheriff’s office, marking the first major test of a new crackdown on local governments resisting federal immigration enforcement.
The Justice Department is scrutinizing the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office after it released 27-year-old Jesus Romero-Hernandez, a Mexican national who had been in custody on an assault charge. Federal agents later arrested him on immigration violations, but the sheriff’s decision to let him go—despite an outstanding federal warrant—has drawn sharp criticism from Washington.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove accused the sheriff’s office of disregarding federal law and vowed to examine the case for possible prosecution. Ithaca city officials, however, defended their law enforcement policies, emphasizing that local police do not engage in immigration enforcement.
This investigation comes amid broader federal efforts to challenge “sanctuary cities,” which limit cooperation with immigration authorities. The Justice Department has reassigned over a dozen career attorneys to a newly formed working group aimed at scrutinizing state and local laws that hinder federal immigration operations.
With federal officials now intensifying efforts to pressure local authorities, this case signals a deepening divide between Washington and jurisdictions determined to set their own policies on immigration enforcement.
