ICE and No-Collusion

Monday February 2, 2026’s Legislature Safety Committee Meeting at the E911 Conference Room had no real surprises, but some major disappointments.

When the No Collusion Resolution came up the two legislators that spoke out against it had obviously not read it or had already “resolved” to say no for political reasons.  Legislator Herbert Yerndon went on at great length about all the reasons he wouldn’t support it, BUT if he had read it, he might have learned that all the things he stated he would have the Sheriff Department do in an emergency were already covered and allowed in the no collusion policy, not forbidden as he stated.

Legislature Vice Chair Mary Ellen Chesbro went on a very MAGA inspired rant about the reason there was so much violence “on both sides” was because Minneapolis had a No Collusion policy and that was the cause of all the problems, because no one was helping ICE do their duties there.

But one of the really concerning things that Vice-Chair Chesbro said at the Safety Committee meeting was that Hilton is an elected official and there is “only so much that we even have power over.” So, does she believe that if they did pass a No Collusion Policy that the Sheriff could just ignore it and the Legislature has no power over him? I thought elected officials had to obey the law in the Counties they served in!

When you look at a group of people and lump them in together as a danger to other people, usually you have an agenda, just like ICE and the Administration have. When you treat people like garbage, it’s always better to call them names, like illegals, and take humanity out of the equation.

And when you kill someone in cold blood when they are trying to help others, it’s always good in a “fascist” regime to label them terrorists or “paid agitators” instead of calling them empathetic or real Christians.

It’s hard to take our Republican County Legislators seriously when they don’t know the law and follow the MAGA party line to make new ones. Maybe if ICE shows up and an Oswego County Sheriff’s deputy is in the camera lens when ICE commits an atrocity here, they might get on board with protecting ALL our neighbors in this county.

The recent events around the country only reinforce the need at the local level to have a No-Collusion policy to ensure our tax dollars are used wisely, and that we don’t end up on the national news when someone gets hurt in our area by ICE.

We need to protect our neighbors and our deputies by not colluding with ICE here in Oswego County.

Jim Cannon, RN

Fulton NY