Kenneth C. Crowe II is reporting for the Times Union Rensselaer County Sheriff Patrick Russo defended his department's controversial cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on national television, April 4. Russo was interviewed at Fox studios in New York City by Brian Kilmeade on Fox & Friends about being the only sheriff in New York to join the 287g program run with ICE. "ICE does vet people in our facility but it‘s not real time. We want to prevent somebody from getting out before they’re recognized as being wanted,” Russo said. During the interview, Kilmeade took note of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s condemnation of the program, playing off the politics of the issue. Russo is a Republican; Cuomo a Democrat. In the hours that followed, county residents demanded an end to the county's participation in the ICE program. Legislature Minority Leader Peter Grimm, Democrat of Troy, said his party has attempted to pass legislation to withdraw the county from working with ICE, but the Republican majority has voted down all efforts to get the measure out of committee. Legislature Vice Chair Kelly Hoffman, a Conservative from North Greenbush, said most of the county's lawmakers support the sheriff working with ICE. Read the full story in the Times Union.