Hochul meets with Tom Homan, reiterates opposition to immigration surge

ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday reiterated her opposition to a surge of federal immigration agents in the state during a meeting with Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border czar.

The two met for about an hour at the State Capitol. Homan did not speak with reporters.

Hochul said the meeting was a continuation of conversations she had with Trump during a meeting at the White House two weeks ago. After that meeting, she spoke with Homan over the phone and Homan offered to meet with her in person.

After Hochul’s meeting with Trump, the president told the media he would not send a large-scale immigration enforcement operation into the state unless she requested it.

"I can, once again, reassure all New Yorkers that request will never occur," Hochul said Friday.

Hochul and Homan also discussed her opposition to the creation of large-scale detention centers in the state.

At least one center was proposed at a former Internal Revenue Service office space in Holtsville. Town officials rejected the request because holding cells are illegal under the town code for buildings zoned for office use.

The two also discussed the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, a blind refugee from Myanmar who died after Border Patrol agents in Buffalo left him outside a coffee shop several miles from his home without informing his family or attorney. Shah Alam did not speak English.

Hochul said she gave Homan a list of relatives in Myanmar and requested they be issued visas so they could be reunited with Shah Alam’s surviving family. Hochul had visited Shah Alam’s wife and children in Buffalo after learning of his death.

"This is the sobbing widow's request to me, so I said we would pursue that as well," Hochul said.

The governor's office also provided Homan with a list of students in federal detention they would like to see released.

Hochul declined to reveal what Homan's responses were to the topics they discussed.

She said they did not discuss any of the pending state legislation related to immigration. Hochul in her State of the State address in January called for lawmakers to pass a law that would allow residents to sue federal immigration officers who violate their constitutional rights.

She is also seeking a three-year ban on cooperation agreements between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local law enforcement on civil immigration matters