New York leaders announced a new push Wednesday to limit local involvement in federal immigration enforcement, directing 12 police and sheriff’s agencies to end their formal partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Governor Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Attorney General Letitia James said the agencies’ Section 287(g) agreements must end by Aug. 25 under the state’s Local Cops, Local Crimes Act. Those agreements allow designated local officers to perform certain federal immigration-enforcement functions.

“The law is clear: New York law enforcement officers cannot be used as federal immigration agents,” James said in the state’s official announcement. State officials argued that local police resources should focus on public safety and local crime rather than civil immigration enforcement.

Hochul also announced $7.25 million for legal services covering about 1,400 unaccompanied immigrant children after the federal government ended a related legal-assistance contract. The funding is expected to help children facing immigration proceedings obtain representation.

The announcement comes amid widening debate over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, ICE use-of-force practices and the proper role of local police. Federal officials have argued that cooperation agreements strengthen enforcement, while opponents say they can discourage immigrant residents from reporting crimes or cooperating with police.