Monroe County Legislator Rachel Barnhart announced today that she will vote against a resolution accepting a $161,285 Operation Stonegarden grant from the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.
The three-year grant would fund overtime, equipment and reimbursements to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the police departments in Greece, Irondequoit and Webster. Monroe County has participated in the program since 2009.
Barnhart cited three reasons for her opposition.
1. The grant formally ties local law enforcement to Customs and Border Protection. Under the Trump administration, CBP has played a central role in aggressive — and often violent — federal immigration enforcement, including operations that have swept up people with no criminal record. Under Operation Stonegarden, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is required to notify CBP pursuant to a classified Operations Order. Barnhart said she will not vote to fund a program that formally links county deputies to an agency violating people’s constitutional and civil rights.
2. She does not trust the Sheriff’s assurances. Sheriff Todd Baxter’s cover letter to the Legislature promises transparency about how OPSG resources are used. Barnhart pointed to the Sheriff’s record on immigration policy as reason for skepticism. In February, MCSO quietly adopted a stricter internal immigration directive restricting cooperation with federal agencies, but never announced it publicly. It surfaced only after legislators and WXXI each filed separate open records requests. Barnhart said an office that discloses information only after open records requests has not earned the benefit of the doubt on a program it is asking the Legislature to approve largely on trust. Further, Sheriff Baxter appeared at an April press conference opposing the governor’s proposed immigration protections, the only Democratic Sheriff present.
3. Legislators cannot review the program’s key operational documents. Monroe County’s threat assessment and the CBP Operations Order governing notification requirements are both classified. Barnhart said she will not vote to authorize funding for a program whose central operational terms elected legislators are not permitted to review.
“Customs and Border Protection has become an agency that routinely violates the rights of immigrants. Monroe County should not be entering into agreements that formally link our Sheriff’s Office to that agency. I won’t vote to legitimize or fund that relationship,” Barnhart said.
Two committees will consider the Operation Stonegarden grant tomorrow, Public Safety and Ways and Means.