Advocates Push to End Orange County Jail’s Contract with ICE

GOSHEN, NY – Residents and immigration advocates rallied in Goshen on Sunday to demand Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus to end Orange County Jail’s contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Orange County Jail has served as an immigration detention facility since 2008. Advocates have long criticized the county jail for systemic medical failures and maltreatment of detained immigrants. The number of people detained by ICE at the Orange County Jail has more than doubled since the start of President Trump’s current administration.

“[ICE has] a huge presence in Orange County and in the Hudson Valley, and I think that it really sends a message that this is not a safe place, and we want it to be a safe place for our immigrant neighbors and communities because they are such a vibrant part of Orange County in the Hudson Valley,” said Grace Ott, co-chair of the Mid-Hudson Valley DSA chapter’s Immigrant Solidarity Working Group.

Organizers said more than 130 people attended the protest, which was organized by a local coalition including the Mid-Hudson Valley and Lower Hudson Valley Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) chapters, For the Many, Newburgh Resists, and others.

New York Lawyers for Public Interest (NYLPI) reported consistent medical care deficiencies in immigration detention at Orange County Jail including neglect of follow-up care, lack of medication access such as erroneous prescriptions, and lack of nutrition and language access support.

In recent months, ICE has expanded its presence in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Town of New Windsor Supervisor Stephen Bedetti confirmed that the agency had quietly leased office space in New Windsor since 2025. ICE had also considered converting the former Pep Boys warehouse in the Village of Chester into a detention facility, drawing thousands of protestors to push back against the facility. New York Assemblymember Brian Maher said that the federal agency would not move forward with the proposal at this time.

Meanwhile, advocates also pushed for a number of state bills during the rally that would limit ICE activity in New York state, including the MELT Act, Dignity Not Detentions Act, and New York for All.

READ: Local Immigration Advocates Say Hochul’s ICE Proposal Falls Short, Push for “New York for All” Act

As state budget talks ramp up, Ott’s urging residents to call their legislators to support the bills and end the county’s existing ICE contract.

“People should call their legislators and push for [the bills]. Call the Governor. Push for this as well on these bills. If you’re in Orange County, call the County Executive to cancel a contract because if every one of us is putting pressure on them, then it makes it harder and harder for them to ignore us.”

Image: Advocates gathered for an anti-ICE rally in Goshen, New York on April 12 (Photo Credit: Mid-Hudson Valley Democratic Socialists of America)