Hochul confronted ICE agent, said he was 'terrorizing people' by wearing a mask

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Hochul confronted ICE agent, said he was 'terrorizing people' by wearing a mask

New York governor said she asked ICE agent why they wear masks during enforcement operations

Hanna Panreck Fox News

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January 8, 2026 12:43pm EST

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Hochul questioned ICE agent about why they wear masks, says they're 'terrorizing people'

Gov. Kathy Hochul told MS NOW that she questioned an ICE agent in New York about why they wear masks and said she told the officer, "you're terrorizing people."

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Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., said Thursday she told an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in New York that they were "terrorizing people" after questioning why the officer was wearing a mask.

Hochul was asked on MS NOW's "Morning Joe" about the shooting in Minneapolis that occurred Wednesday during an ICE enforcement operation in the city.

"I have a lot of respect for law enforcement — tremendous respect — but I've asked an ICE agent, 'Why are you wearing the mask?' When I was down there at the 26 Federal Plaza, I said, 'why do you wear the mask?'" Hochul told the hosts.

"No other law enforcement does this, our police don’t do it, our FBI agents don’t do it," she said. "'Why are you doing this?' And they said, ‘Because we get doxxed, our family gets harassed, etc.' I said, ’Why do you think you are more than anybody else?'"

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NY Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks with Moms First CEO Reshma Saujani during the Economic Club of New York luncheon on Sept. 18, 2025, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Hochul said she admonished the ICE agent.

"You’re just trying to scare people, you’re terrorizing people yourselves, and I don’t want to see that. So we don’t need that here," she said.

The governor said New York was doing just fine and said she was trying to prevent efforts to "militarize" their streets.

"They never should have been in Minneapolis in the first place, that’s the catalyst," she said.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, agents were attempting to make arrests in south Minneapolis when Renee Nicole Good tried to use her vehicle as a weapon against officers, prompting a federal agent to fire in self-defense. Good was pronounced dead after being struck by gunfire. The agent involved has not been publicly identified, and the incident remains under investigation.

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Federal agents walk on a city street in Minneapolis.

ICE agents stand at the scene where a woman was fatally shot earlier in the day during an enforcement operation on Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Christopher Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Hochul was asked earlier in the interview about concerns that protesters might clash with ICE in New York.

"This is exactly the chaos that the Trump administration wants. This is how they operate. They want to create this sense of, you know, especially in Democratic cities and Democratic states, that there’s just this lawlessness and things are out of control, and they need to step in and save it. They are so wrong," she said.

"New York is safe. Our statistics that I announced with our commissioner of police and the new mayor are staggering in how much we’ve reduced crime, particularly violent crime," Hochul added.

The governor criticized a September ICE raid in New York after agents arrested 57 illegal immigrants at a New York candy factory — including some accused of child endangerment, DUI and repeated illegal re-entries.

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a press conference, July 31, 2024, in the Bronx borough of New York. (Julia Nikhinson/AP Photo)

"I’ve made it clear: New York will work with the federal government to secure our borders and deport violent criminals, but we will never stand for masked ICE agents separating families and abandoning children," Hochul said in a statement.

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"Today’s raids will not make New York safer. What they did was shatter hard-working families who are simply trying to build a life here, just like millions of immigrants before them," she said. "These actions fly in the face of New York’s values. As governor, I will always stand against this cruelty."

Hanna Panreck is an associate editor at Fox News.

Hochul confronted ICE agent, said he was 'terrorizing people' by wearing a mask