NEW CITY – Congressman Mike Lawler (R-NY-17) joined local elected officials and members of the Rockland County Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association on Monday to announce their opposition to the proposed “Our Safety and Dignity for All Act.”

Being introduced by County Legislator Beth Davidson, Lawler contends this legislation would sharply limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Davidson, a Democrat, is a candidate to run against Lawler in November’s Congressional election.

“Sanctuary policies are idiotic and dangerous,” Lawler said. “They make our communities less safe, endanger the public, put law enforcement in a difficult position, and violate federal law. Rockland County stands with law enforcement. Rockland County stands for public safety. And Rockland County will not adopt policies that make our communities less safe. As long as I am a Congressman, Rockland County will not become a Sanctuary County,”

Davidson fired back at the Congressman, stating: “Mike Lawler can continue to flail and tell lies about our work while I will continue to work on developing this legislation to protect Rockland County residents, empower the county law enforcement officials who already do a damn good job keeping us safe, and ensure that ICE does not terrorize families here.”

According to Lawler, Davidson’s proposal, which remains under development, draws from policies adopted by Westchester County’s “Immigration and Protection Act.” The Congressman said those rules limited county-level coordination with immigration authorities primarily to cases involving criminal charges or when a federal judge had issued a warrant. The policy applied only to Westchester County agencies, including public safety, corrections, and probation.