Local leaders speak out amid reports of ICE activity in the Binghamton area

9/18/2025 – Press Connect Article

Reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the Binghamton area have prompted local leaders to speak out.

On Sept. 16, images of people being taken into custody in Johnson City began circulating on social media. ICE has not returned a request for comment on any recent operations in the Binghamton area.

Following an outcry from residents, City of Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham said any ICE operations in the area are taking place without the Binghamton Police Department’s involvement or “even their prior notification.”

“I continue to be concerned by ICE raids and operations under the Trump administration, which have included the use of unidentified masked personnel and raise serious questions around constitutional policing, due process and accountability,” Kraham said in a statement. “As Mayor, I believe Binghamton’s police resources should be focused on neighborhood safety and crime, not civil immigration enforcement, and certainly not performative or incendiary law enforcement activity that erodes trust in our communities.”

The Broome County jail participates in the warrant service officer portion of ICE’s 287(g) program, which authorizes corrections staff to serve warrants to people being held at the jail.

The Broome County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on the situation and referred a request for comment to ICE.

New York State Sen. Lea Webb and Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo posted a joint statement on Facebook accusing ICE of “making arrests through profiling rather than by judicial warrant.”

Webb and Lupardo said they are in contact with other government officials and are working to “protect the community against ICE’s unwelcome presence.”

“Many of those being targeted have come to our country to provide a better life for their families and are doing jobs few people are interested in,” the statement said. “They deserve a pathway to citizenship rather than the unjust, inhumane treatment we are seeing with these raids.”

Concerned Residents of Greater Binghamton Coordinator Adam Flint said he and others within the organization started hearing reports of ICE arrests early on Sept. 16.

“What we believe is going on is racial profiling,” Flint said. “We believe ICE is out there on the streets looking for people that fit a profile that might allow them to meet their quota.”