Tonight, the East Hampton Town Board is set to take up one of the more contentious issues on the East End: how far local police and town staff should go in helping federal civil immigration authorities.
The board will hold a public hearing on a proposed local law known as the Public Safety and Accountability proposal, which would sharply curb the ways town employees and officers can assist with federal civil immigration enforcement. The plan would bar the use of many local resources for civil immigration actions and set up a community task force to keep tabs on federal activity in town. Backers say it is about rebuilding trust after a string of high-profile ICE operations on the East End, while critics argue it could make some criminal investigations harder to coordinate.
According to News12, the draft law would prohibit the town from entering into agreements that let Immigration and Customs Enforcement delegate civil immigration enforcement to state or local agencies. It would also prevent the town from using its personnel, facilities, or funds to investigate or arrest anyone solely for civil immigration enforcement unless there is a judicial warrant. Town officers would have to report any incidents involving federal immigration enforcement to the town supervisor, and a new task force would be created to advise the board. If adopted, the measure would take effect immediately and is written to sunset on July 1, 2029.
The proposal is built on a model circulated by the immigrant-rights organization OLA of Eastern Long Island, which has been encouraging East End municipalities to adopt similar laws. Former state Assemblyman Fred Thiele, now a member of OLA’s board, helped draft the language that has been traveling through town halls. Town records show the Latino Advisory Committee reviewed the idea this spring, and the board then put the draft on its calendar for a public hearing. Archived agenda documents from Town of East Hampton confirm the issue has been percolating on local agendas for months.
Town And Village Rules Do Not Match
The town’s draft is broader than a village-level measure that moved earlier this spring. The village proposal focuses on one specific tool: it would bar the use of local license-plate reader data for civil immigration enforcement. By contrast, the town version spells out that officers may request identification from anyone who claims to be an immigration agent, a detail reported by The East Hampton Star.
Village trustees held a public hearing in April on their narrower law, describing it as a way to put current police practices into writing while adding transparency safeguards around data sharing.
Why Neighbors Say They Need It
Supporters frame the town measure as a public-safety rulebook rather than a political statement. They say it clarifies how local officers should respond when federal agents operate in town and could help prevent confusion or impersonation, a concern that has surfaced in coverage across the East End.
Dan's Papers has tracked how multiple East End towns and villages are weighing OLA’s model ordinance. Reporting by RiverheadLocal notes that Southold went so far as to create its own task force to study the proposal after local enforcement actions stirred concern among residents.
Legal Lines And What Comes Next
Town attorneys have repeatedly stressed that the draft law recognizes federal supremacy in immigration matters and would not stop local police from working with federal authorities on criminal cases. That distinction has been a point of emphasis for the board as it fine-tunes the language, according to The East Hampton Star.
The proposal would formally bar the town from signing 287(g)-style agreements that deputize local officers for civil immigration enforcement. It would also require public reporting after any federal immigration action in which town resources are involved.
Tonight’s public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. at East Hampton Town Hall, 159 Pantigo Road in East Hampton. Residents who want to keep tabs on how the board handles the proposal can check meeting postings and agenda packets on the official site for the Town of East Hampton.
