Niagara County Is Limiting ICE Access In Its Jail

Niagara County is majorly shaking up its immigration policy. The Niagara County Sheriff made a major announcement that may disrupt Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Many New Yorkers are protesting the methods that ICE agents are using, including killing a mother in Minnesota. Renee Good, an unarmed 37-year-old Minneapolis mom of three, was horrifically killed by ICE agents, who shot her to death.

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I dare to say that most New Yorkers want immigrants to come to America legally and not violate our immigration laws to get here. Personally, I support ensuring that immigrants come to our country legally and are documented. I just believe that there is a humane and legal way to address the issue. There seems to be a major divide over the tactics of ICE agents.

The use of illegal and criminal means to address illegal immigration seems hypocritical. With ICE hiring new, sometimes unqualified officers, to create an army with no allegiance to the U.S. military, many people are concerned that the agency has gone rogue and has no oversight. In America, what sets us apart (or at least is supposed to set us apart) from dictatorships is checks and balances. Many protestors say that ICE has seemingly been operating under the current administration with zero accountability or oversight.

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ICE agents in Niagara Falls will face new challenges in their attempts to round up undocumented immigrants. As of January 16, 2026, the Niagara County Sheriff's Office will no longer allow ICE agents to use its jail to hold certain illegal immigrants. Moving forward, detainees will only be held for ICE if there is a criminal charge or judicial warrant, not civil violations, according to WKBW. Niagara County Sheriff Filicetti told Channel 7's Pheben Kassahun,

"I think we're in a spot where we've struck a chord where we have to look at what is, what keeps the public safe in Niagara County. And I think by enforcing criminal law, but also when it intersects with federal immigration law, that makes sense to me that if we have criminals, I don't know who would argue that we shouldn't be looking to, if they're here legally, we're going to arrest them."

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