WAYNE COUNTY, N.Y. – Wayne County Sheriff Robert Milby says his county has never self-declared as a sanctuary jurisdiction and yet, Wayne County is suddenly on a Homeland Security sanctuary list.
So is Monroe County and Yates County. They’re all accused of actively trying to impede federal immigration arrests and being on this list puts money at risk.
Berkeley Brean, News10NBC: “Sheriff, how do you think Wayne County got on this list?”
Sheriff Robert Milby, Wayne County Sheriff’s Office: “Well, it’s due to rhetoric. It’s due to misinformation.”
The list is called “Sanctuary Jurisdictions Defying Federal Immigration Law.” In New York, there are 15 counties listed including Monroe, Yates and Wayne.
Berkeley Brean: “The press release that goes with this list says any jurisdiction on this list is ‘deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws and endangering American citizens.'”
Sheriff Robert Milby: “Actually, that’s to the contrary. That’s absolutely a false statement.”
Sheriff Milby says immigration is for ICE and Border Patrol, not his deputies. But if they call for help, his deputies will help, just like RPD did when they were called to help in March.
Sheriff Robert Milby: “If they send me a detainer on someone I have in custody that they’re interested in, I’m not going to hold that person any longer than New York State allows me to do that. But am I going to call the feds and give them a heads up as to when they can find this person being released from my custody? Absolutely. I don’t see how that puts us on the list of non-compliance.”
Yates County says it has and “will always” work with the feds. “We were not aware of Yates County being on this list until it was published, and will be making contact the Department of Homeland Security to determine why we were placed on this list and what steps need to be taken to be removed from it,” Yates County Sheriff Frank Ryan wrote.
In 2019, Yates County passed a resolution against New York State becoming a sanctuary state.
Monroe County says “This is classic government by press release. Monroe County has not received any notification from the Department of Homeland Security of noncompliance or any other potential violations. The inclusion of Monroe County and the allegations in the DHS press release are factually incorrect and legally unfounded, and the County does not know why it is on the list distributed by DHS.”
County Executive Adam Bello declined to talk on camera about it today. So News10NBC Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean caught up with several county lawmakers.
Berkeley Brean: “What do you make of the fact that Monroe County is on this list?”
Howard Maffucci, Monroe County lawmaker (Brighton, Pittsford): “Well, first I don’t know anything about how they created the list. I can only tell you this: one of the characteristics of the federal government right now is create chaos.”
Rachel Barnhart, Monroe County lawmaker (Rochester): “Monroe County landing on this list of sanctuary jurisdictions should be a message: you can’t bury your head in the sand. You can’t pander to Donald Trump. They’re coming after us anyway.”
The sheriffs in Yates and Wayne County said they’re calling Homeland Security today. The list was created by an order signed by President Trump in April. It says if you’re on the list they’re going to look for “grants and contracts for suspension and termination, as appropriate.”
This week News10NBC reported on federal community block grants under threat of getting cut. That’s $11 million to the City of Rochester. Rochester is one of 12 New York cities on the list but it is a declared sanctuary city.
News10NBC asked Homeland Security why the counties of Monroe, Wayne and Yates are on the list.
“Designation of a sanctuary jurisdiction is based on the evaluation of numerous factors, including self-identification as a sanctuary jurisdiction, noncompliance with Federal law enforcement in enforcing immigration laws, restrictions on information sharing, and legal protections for illegal aliens,” an unnamed DHS spokesperson wrote. “The list is actively reviewed, will be regularly updated, and can be changed at any time. President Trump and Secretary Noem have been clear: sanctuary jurisdictions should immediately cease violation of Federal law and cooperate with law enforcement.”
But News10NBC asked Homeland Security to provide specific instances where that happened in Monroe, Wayne and Yates counties. They haven’t done it.
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