Topics Immigration
Trump Administration Fires Two More New York City Immigration Judges as New Hires Take the Bench

The Department of Justice has terminated more than 100 immigration judges since last year as it has pressured courts to order more deportations.

Isabelle Taft   ·   May 23, 2026
A photo collage of Governor Kathy Hochul in the foreground, over a yellow-tinted photo of an Oswego Sheriff's car in the background.
Albany Reins in Police Collaboration With ICE but Doesn’t Ban Informal Cooperation

The legislation comes after months of haggling over how best to protect New Yorkers from President Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Isabelle Taft   ·   May 22, 2026
Videos Reignite Fight Over Oswego County Border Patrol Calls

Footage published by New York Focus sparked a debate over deputies’ practice of calling Border Patrol on Spanish-speaking drivers.

Sammy Sussman   ·   May 21, 2026
A map showing locations where layoffs have occurred in New York programs overlaid with a photo of a sign stating "permanently closed."
New York’s Beds for Unaccompanied Immigrant Children Evaporate as Feds End Contracts

Shelter providers have had to lay off staff, while the children’s already uncertain futures have become even murkier.

Isabelle Taft   ·   May 19, 2026
Close-up photo of a man from behind wearing a suit, kufi, and mask. In the background, many other people attending a funeral.
Bronx Fire Relief Funds Finally Reach Families, Four Years After Catastrophic Blaze

After a New York Focus investigation, a Bronx charity distributed nearly $400,000 to survivors of a deadly 2022 fire.

Sam Mellins   ·   May 15, 2026
A zoomed-in silhouette of a child and adult holding hands. In the background, paperwork for habeas corpus petitions.
These Kids Trekked Hundreds of Miles to Reunite With Their Parents. The Feds Kept Them Separated for Months.

Trump administration rules are keeping immigrant kids detained, even when their parents are available to care for them. Families are using a new legal tool to free them.

Isabelle Taft   ·   May 13, 2026
A screenshot from a police body camera shows a person in a car, his face obscured by the officer's hands holding a phone. The caption shows the officer saying "Is there a border patrol that speaks Spanish?"
Videos Show Upstate Cops Calling Border Patrol on Drivers

Oswego County sheriff’s deputies held drivers for up to 45 minutes as they waited for immigration agents, potentially breaking the law.

Sammy Sussman and Liv Veazey   ·   May 7, 2026
Immigration Talks Hit Impasse After Hochul’s Latest Proposal

Hochul’s counter would limit informal collusion with ICE only in civil matters.

Liv Veazey and Isabelle Taft   ·   April 29, 2026
He Won Asylum Without a Lawyer. Now He Helps West African New Yorkers Fight Deportation.

Cheikh Fall has spent nearly two decades helping New York immigrants from his home region seek asylum in the United States.

Liv Veazey   ·   April 28, 2026
New Yorkers Arrested by ICE Are Choosing Departure Over Indefinite Detention

Twenty-two percent of people arrested by ICE in New York state during Trump’s second term have left the country voluntarily — up from less than 1 percent under Biden.

Liv Veazey   ·   April 21, 2026
Local Police in Westchester, Long Island Routinely Help ICE Make Arrests

A review of federal court documents by THE CITY reveals three dozen cases in which local law enforcement allegedly cooperated with ICE agents.

Gwynne Hogan   ·   April 16, 2026
ICE Is Trying to Send Hundreds of New York’s African Asylum Seekers to a Country They’re Not From

Over the last three months, ICE attorneys in New York state have petitioned to send half of the African asylum seekers who had immigration hearings to Uganda.

Liv Veazey   ·   March 18, 2026
State Legislature Proposes Major Boost to Immigrant Legal Services

The governor and legislature are negotiating over immigration legislation outside of the budget process.

Liv Veazey   ·   March 11, 2026
‘I Was Just Desperate to Find a Lawyer’: Three Journeys Through New York’s Asylum Maze

It’s almost impossible to win an asylum case without an attorney. Finding one is a tall order.

Liv Veazey   ·   February 26, 2026
ICE Collaboration and Prisons in Crisis: Four Questions for State Law Enforcement

A hearing Thursday gives lawmakers an opportunity to grill police and prison leaders.

Chris Gelardi   ·   February 11, 2026
Hochul Proposed Banning ICE Collaboration Contracts. Here’s What You Need to Know.

The bill would dissolve contracts that allow federal immigration authorities to use county jails, but would leave more informal collaboration with local law enforcement untouched.

Liv Veazey   ·   January 31, 2026
Police Department Retrains Officers on Immigration Enforcement Policies After New York Focus Investigation

Some officials and residents in Cheektowaga want a broader overhaul of their cops’ interactions with immigration agents.

Isabelle Taft   ·   January 23, 2026
Mamdani and Hochul are Looking Cozy. Can it Last?

A sweeping child care expansion and opposition to President Trump have united them, but significant divisions remain.

Sam Mellins   ·   January 15, 2026
Hochul Stays Mum on Sanctuary Bill: State of the State 2026

Immigrant rights advocates and some lawmakers welcomed her proposals, but said that the measures don’t go far enough.

Liv Veazey   ·   January 14, 2026
Covering the 2026 State of the State

Here’s what our reporters will be watching for during Governor Kathy Hochul’s agenda-setting address that will kick off state budget negotiations.

New York Focus   ·   January 12, 2026
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