State Republicans attack new immigration law in wake of foiled Capitol terrorist attack

A woman who pledged allegiance to ISIS got arrested last week for allegedly planning to bomb the state Capitol. But rather than make cracks at “radical Islamists” or attack Democrats about a public safety failure, instead, Republican leaders praised the effectiveness of local and federal law enforcement working together.

If that seems apolitical, think again. The GOP have used the incident to implicitly criticize a new state immigration law they claim would prevent such cooperation in the future, leading to the kind of chaos that law enforcement managed to stop this time. And it’s giving a preview of what’s to come in Republican messaging as they prepare for a tough midterm election.

The state law in question bars local police from having formal partnerships with federal immigration agents. And municipalities will need to have ended any existing agreements starting Tuesday. The measure has left Gov. Kathy Hochul in a legal standoff with President Donald Trump, whose administration challenged its legality. But even as most police agencies have indicated they will comply with the law, state Republicans are banking on a chaotic rollout to boost the party’s shot at victory this fall. 

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, has boasted about his county’s formal partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement known as a 287(g) agreement. And he referred to the benefits of such an agreement in his response to the attempted terrorist attack. “When local and federal law enforcement work together, terrorists are caught before they can hurt innocent Americans,” Blakeman said in a statement to City & State.

Blakeman hasn’t indicated whether he will end his county’s agreements as he runs against Hochul. But he’s clearly not waiting to campaign on the policy in efforts to make gains in the tightening race – and sow doubt about Hochul, who led negotiations with the Legislature for months this year. 

“This foiled plot is a powerful reminder that cooperation saves lives – and a wake-up call to Kathy Hochul that putting up walls between local and federal law enforcement doesn’t make New Yorkers safer; it puts families in danger,” he said.

Hochul’s campaign hit back by criticizing Trump’s past attempts to withhold federal funding for public safety measures. “When Donald Trump tried to defund $187 million in (New York City Police Department) counterterrorism funding, Gov. Hochul got it back – and fought to keep New Yorkers safe while Bruce Blakeman didn’t lift a finger,” Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki said in a statement. 

State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt echoed Blakeman’s response in a statement on X following the attempted attack, similarly tying the incident to the new immigration law. “The announcement regarding an ISIS-inspired terrorist plot targeting our state Capitol building is not only disturbing, but reinforces why law enforcement at all levels must communicate and work together for the safety and well-being of New Yorkers,” Ortt said.

Democrats were quick to combat the GOP narrative. Mike Murphy, a spokesperson for the Senate Democrats, responded to Ortt, saying the successful efforts by law enforcement to prevent the attack proves that the new law doesn’t prevent local and federal law enforcement from working together. “A reminder it is so dangerous when people claim New York outlawed this cooperation to score points and scare people,” Murphy wrote.

A spokesperson for Hochul’s office also said nothing in the new immigration law would have impacted the alleged terrorism case, and “any suggestion otherwise is shameful and deliberately misleading.” The law bans specific agreements with ICE and Customs and Border Patrol, but it does not prevent local and state police from working with federal law enforcement to solve crimes. ICE was not involved with the attempted terrorist attack in Albany.

Some political observers effectively dismissed the messaging from Republicans as bad spin. “What (Blakeman) is trying to do together in a patchwork here, is just fearmongering, it's not reality,” said Democratic strategist Lupe Todd-Medina, who also worked on Hochul’s 2022 campaign. 

But fellow Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf said that factual distinction doesn’t make a difference – especially to voters in the suburbs who matter. “Some Democrats are presuming that people know nuance, (and) they don't know nuance,” he said. “What they do know is that things appear to be out of control … What Blakeman and Ortt are doing here is not talking about ICE, they're talking about chaos.”

Although public safety concerns loomed large four years ago, recent public polling shows voters are more motivated by cost-of-living issues this year. Medina said it’s a mistake for Republicans to take a page from an old playbook, and it won’t resonate. “The moment now is about affordability, and the Republicans have to answer for why a pound of ground beef is costing $7,” she said, adding a crime argument won’t work this time. “All it's going to be is fodder. All it's going to be is a soundbite. It's not going to carry the election.”