Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul is backing new legislation that would bar state and local police from working with federal immigration officers, a move she said is a direct response to the deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Minnesota this month.

At an event Friday in New York City, Hochul announced she was going to push the state legislature to adopt a series of bills that would bar state and local authorities from signing memorandums of understanding with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to allow local officers to enforce immigration laws.

Hochul’s bills would also bar federal agents from using local jails or prisons to hold people detained for civil immigration enforcement, raids or transportation.

“Over the last year federal immigration agents have carried out unspeakable acts of violence against Americans under the guise of public safety. These abuses — and the weaponization of local police officers for civil immigration enforcement — will not stand in New York,” she said. “Today, I’m announcing new actions that will safeguard our communities against dangerous federal overreach and ensure that New York law enforcement is focused on keeping New Yorkers safe — not doing the job of ICE.”

There are 14 municipalities that have agreed to cooperate with federal immigration officials across New York, including Nassau County, which is led by GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce R. Blakeman, and Rensselaer County just across the river from the state capital. No North Country counties or cities cooperate directly with immigration officers under a 287(g) agreement, which is what Hochul is moving to ban, although St. Lawrence County is set to consider such an agreement during a meeting Monday night.

This move dovetails with other efforts the governor and leading Democrats in Albany have made to limit the power federal immigration officials can wield in New York. Hochul is also pushing for a new law that would give state residents the right to sue federal officers for violations of their constitutional rights in state civil court.

She’s also backing a bill that would bar federal officers from enforcing immigration laws without a judicial warrant in “sensitive locations” including hospitals, schools, places of worship and private homes.

The legislation has the support of pro-immigration groups and progressives at the state Capitol, but it didn’t fully satisfy them.

“The emergence of the Governor’s proposed bill is a testament to the power of persistent advocacy by immigrants and allies who demand that our calls for justice be taken seriously by our state government,” the New York For All Coalition said in a statement. The coalition advocates for pro-immigrant policies in Albany. “Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction. Yet, we must be crystal clear that New York for All is the comprehensive solution we need.”

They’re talking about a state bill that’s gaining more traction this year that would prohibit state or federal officials in any capacity from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. It would also specify “sensitive locations” where civil immigration enforcement wouldn’t be permitted. It would start the process of locking federal authorities out of state databases, and it would broadly bar federal authorities from entering private spaces on state or local government property without a judicial warrant.

That bill appears to have the support of state Senate Majority Leader Andrea A. Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, but it hasn’t passed in either chamber. It doesn’t appear that Hochul is moving to support it herself at this time either.

The governor sought to bat away criticism that some may level that she is seeking to overly weaken immigration enforcement in New York. She pointed out that the state has turned over 1,400 convicted criminals who lacked legal status to federal authorities for deportation since she took office in 2021.

“So make no mistake because others are going to lie about what I’m saying right now, and you can count on this — be ready for the lies,” she said. “We’ll always cooperate with the federal government to bring violent criminals to justice — full stop. That’s not a change in policy. However, it does not mean that New York state will stand for flagrant abuse of power under the guise of public safety.”

Her competition for reelection this year, likely Republican nominee Blakeman, immediately leveled some of that criticism Hochul seemed to anticipate.

“Kathy Hochul is the most pro-criminal governor in the United States who has a callous disregard for the safety of our communities and victims of crime,” he said. “By banning local law enforcement partnerships with ICE, Hochul is allowing dangerous criminals to return to our neighborhoods. That ends when I’m governor.”