Audio & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul is a Guest on MS Now’s “Morning Joe”

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul was a guest on MS Now's "Morning Joe."

AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

Mika Brzezinski, Morning Joe:  A Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul of New York is proposing an end to State and local law enforcement working with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement - ICE. Hochul's proposal dubbed the 'Local Cops, Local Crimes Act' would ban the use of 287(g) agreements, which facilitate the formal cooperation of local police forces with ICE.

At a press conference on Friday, the Governor said these agreements often force local officers to focus on immigration actions rather than their actual responsibility of keeping communities safe. And Governor Hochul joins us now.

From what we've seen out of Minneapolis, it looks like some residents need to be protected from ICE.

Governor Hochul: They do.

Mika Brzezinski, Morning Joe: And so there's a lot of different angles to this story. Tell us what you are hoping to do especially since you're getting significant signs that ICE is on the way in large numbers.

Governor Hochul: They certainly are, and let's step back on why we're having this conversation at all. It shocks the conscience of all Americans that we have to joyfully welcome a 5-year-old home from custody because a judge said to. Not that Kristi Noem had a change of heart, or the Trump Administration did. A judge ordered them to send a child back who had been held for over two weeks. After we've had two 37-year-olds killed - a woman shot in her face and a man shot in the back.

My God, this country has become unrecognizable. But in New York, we know who we are and I have to stand up and forbid these agreements. And I want to be very clear - we are not saying that local police cannot cooperate when there's a criminal investigation. This is what the Republicans are going to challenge and conflate. We have always done that, always will - we want to protect our communities.

But why would we want to divert local law enforcement from the local policing. You know catching criminals in the streets, stopping gun trafficking, stopping the flow of drugs. I want my local police doing that and not being deputized for civil only immigration enforcement. And I don't want my jails filled up with people that they're trying to detain who may even have legal status here, but they don't agree with it.

So this is not about criminals, we'll always focus on public safety first. This is not public safety, this is a public abuse of power.

Mika Brzezinski, Morning Joe: Yeah and these guys from what we've seen, the training seems questionable…

Governor Hochul: What training? I don't think there is training. I think they can get it out of a cracker box.

Mika Brzezinski, Morning Joe: I have to say, it just looks like they have no idea what they're doing. They're brandishing weapons at people at the wrong time. They're stepping in front of cars, they're all clustered together. Over the two killings that we saw in Minneapolis - Minneapolis PD, NYPD, any PD would've had the victim in these two cases, but down on the ground, the situation deescalated in three seconds. These guys look like a bunch of bumbling idiots carrying weapons that are loaded. It's incredible what we're seeing happen on the streets of America, Jonathan.

Jonathan Lemire, Morning Joe: Yeah we're horrified by the images each and every day. Governor, the Trump Administration, their lying and they blame the violence in Minnesota on local and State officials. They say if you had just cooperated with us, none of this would've happened. I think we all can see with our own eyes that's simply not true. But I'm sure you're ready for that similar sentiment expressed towards you after this. And my question is, there's been somewhat of a surprise to some that New York State -- in particular New York City - have yet to be an epicenter of ICE activity. Do you anticipate that will happen?

Governor Hochul: We are trying so hard to avoid this. I stood with our Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, along with police officers, police chiefs, Republicans included, on Friday when I made this announcement. They want our local police protecting their communities - not being weaponized to turn against the people that they're trying to build trust with.

Law enforcement doesn't want these agreements other than a few counties like Nassau County, where they joyfully went and arrested a high school student, as deputies for ICE. That's what's happening not all over the State and not in New York City, but we're prepared for whatever happens. But I hope Donald Trump sees that this is a community that he has his own investments in. He has buildings here, he has properties, he has a lot of friends in New York City. And Jessica Tisch and working with the NYPD and State police cooperating, we are all doing just fine, we do not need a surge. But there are signs that they're trying to build a large detention center just 45 miles outside the City.

So that's gotta get through a lot of State reviews, let me just say that. I'm going to be looking to see, is it on wetlands, is there zoning involved? Is there snails that are environmentally sensitive? So that's a warning sign I'm concerned about.

But I think they know that if you come after New York City, you'll destabilize the economic engine of the country. You do not want to go there.

Pablo Torre, Morning Joe: Beyond the terror of unleashing ICE on this particular city, just the logic of why they even ostensibly need this level of cooperation in these contracts on these 287(g) agreements because every other headline we see is that ICE is being funded in ways that no other governmental institution has ever been. And so what is the explanation as to why they even need this sort of level of cooperation?

Governor Hochul: There is none. They used to be a $6 million agency, not the largest, and now they're $85 billion. They're the size of almost half my budget for the entire State of New York. And what I also saw was they're pulling in people from the border patrol. They also had, I saw one image of someone from the Bureau of Prisons. They cannot possibly be trained in conflict deescalation the way local law enforcement - they don't belong in this. But you're not using our local police, I need them to protect the communities and not have this distrust. And this is what we're hearing, that people are not distinguishing between local police, and we try so hard here to have a positive relationship with our communities of trust. And I want my police going after the murders, the rapists, the gun traffickers and being available for emergencies. And if they're off, they're being deputized by ICE under these agreements that just a few of our counties are doing, they're being distracted and I do not want that, and I'm not going to be supporting that, and we're going to change the law in the State of New York.

And also we proposed that they cannot go into sensitive locations. Churches synagogues, you know, places of worship, schools, daycare centers, hospitals. The nurses are saying that they're coming into the hospitals. And I cannot believe I had to say this, but knowing that they've changed their rules and their guidance that they can now go into homes without a warrant in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

I have to now pass a law in New York that says you can't do that, come on. This country is not recognizable anymore, but we are standing up. We're taking a strong position and I'm so proud of the people in Minneapolis and elsewhere. We're saying enough is enough. We're taking our country back.

Mika Brzezinski, Morning Joe: You mentioned 5-year-old Liam Ramos in Minneapolis and the judge's order, the judge said the case has its genesis in the ill-conceived and incompetently implemented government pursuit of daily deportation quotas, even if it requires traumatizing children. Democratic Governor of New York. Kathy Hochul thank you very much. We'll be following this with you, please come back.

Governor Hochul: Thank you.

Contact the Governor's Press Office