Efforts to crack down on illegal immigration across New York state are leading to questions about the relationship between local law enforcement and federal agencies.

Numerous areas across New York consider themselves sanctuary locations, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. One of those is Monroe County, where an internal investigation is taking place after officials say Rochester police were sent to assist in a traffic stop involving immigrants.

They were allegedly asked to help by U.S. Border Patrol, which the Rochester police chief says violates the city's sanctuary city policy.

Meanwhile, there were also arrests in Broome and Onondaga counties. Those are not sanctuary areas. 

The Broome County Sheriff’s Office said it’s now holding 21 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees in its detention center, while Onondaga County reports holding five ICE detainees at the Justice Center.

Little is known about the events that led to the detainments.

According to ICE documents, local law enforcement facilities are broken into a few designations: those that cooperate with ICE on a limited basis and those who don’t cooperate with ICE at all.

A handful of facilities in different parts of the state fall under that limited cooperation designation, while Albany, Monroe, Tompkins, Wayne and Yates county facilities fall under those that don’t cooperate at all. 

Broome County does work with ICE, and officials say they have the capacity to house lawfully detained individuals.

Back in Onondaga County, Syracuse was declared a sanctuary city in 2017, but that designation was recently walked back by Mayor Ben Walsh, who now describes The Salt City as a “welcoming city.”

Despite this, Walsh said Syracuse police have never enforced federal immigration laws but will, however, assist ICE in specific criminal matters. That’s something that applies to sanctuary communities across the state as well.

According to the New York Immigration Coalition, anyone who commits a crime in a sanctuary area is subject to the same criminal proceedings as anyone else, which justifies support from local law enforcement agencies regardless of any sanctuary designations. 

The immigration coalition also says local agencies can honor detainer requests when a warrant is presented that’s been signed by a judge.