EXCLUSIVE: A conservative legal group is telling New York City police officers they can contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) directly, even if local sanctuary policies say otherwise, releasing a new guide as border czar Tom Homan prepares a major immigration enforcement surge in the nation’s largest city.

Fox News Digital has obtained an unreleased 35-page handbook titled «Law Enforcement Officer Immigration Cooperation Guide» from America First Legal (AFL) that tells state and local police officers they can share a person’s immigration-status information directly with ICE even if New York City or other sanctuary city policies say otherwise.

The guide argues that Section 1373 of federal law bars state and local governments from preventing officers from sharing citizenship or immigration-status information with federal immigration authorities like ICE.

TOM HOMAN WARNS ICE SURGE COMING TO NEW YORK CITY AS MAMDANI BOASTS ABOUT SANCTUARY STATUS

America First Legal is a nonprofit which describes itself as «founded to unapologetically and boldly defend the rights of everyday Americans.»

The guide arrives days after Homan revealed he had reviewed plans to deploy «more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen» into New York City after Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed an executive order reinforcing the city’s sanctuary-status policies.

The guide repeatedly cites Section 1373 of federal immigration law, arguing that state and local governments «may not prohibit, or in any way restrict» officials from sending immigration-status information to federal authorities.

DOJ ESCALATES BLUE-STATE ICE STANDOFF AFTER STATES REFUSE KEY FEDERAL REQUEST

Federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building. According to White House border czar Tom Homan, ICE will increase its operations in New York City due to its status as a sanctuary city. (Getty Images, File)

It tells officers they may contact ICE’s 24-hour Law Enforcement Support Center to verify a person’s immigration status using only a name and date of birth and says officers may do so «regardless of any local directive telling you not to,» according to the document obtained by Fox News Digital.

The release comes as the Trump administration prepares to dramatically increase immigration enforcement in New York.

Homan told Fox News last week that a significant ICE operation is coming to the city after self-described democratic socialist Mamdani reaffirmed New York’s sanctuary policies.

NYC MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI RELEASES AUDIT ACCUSING FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENTS OF MISLEADING TACTICS

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Trump administration continue to clash over immigration enforcement. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images, File)

«It’s coming,» Homan said. «There’s going to be a surge, and there needs to be a surge.»

While Homan declined to discuss operational details, he said ICE would not back away from enforcing immigration law despite opposition from city leaders.

The guide comes as Mamdani and the Trump administration continue to clash over immigration enforcement.

Mamdani’s Executive Order 13 directs the NYPD to review, update and train officers on department policies governing communication, cooperation and coordination with federal immigration authorities.

The order says the city believes «the aggressive tactics that certain non-local law enforcement agencies use in pursuing civil immigration enforcement actions… hinder public safety by creating a culture of fear.»

America First Legal argues those local rules cannot lawfully prevent an officer from voluntarily sharing immigration-status information with ICE because federal law supersedes conflicting local policies.

The guide also argues sanctuary policies could create legal risks for the officials who enforce them. AFL contends some officials could face federal criminal charges for obstructing immigration enforcement and that victims of crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants released despite ICE detainers could, in some cases, sue those officials under federal civil RICO law.

The organization is also inviting officers who believe they were threatened, disciplined or retaliated against for cooperating with ICE to seek confidential legal representation.

«Politicians who hide behind sanctuary policies are not above the law, and they have no right to bully or gag the officers who are trying to keep their communities safe,» AFL senior counsel James Rogers said in a statement accompanying the guide.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Gene Hamilton, president of America First Legal, said officers «should never be forced to choose between following federal law and following unlawful directives to appease politicians committed to sanctuary policies.»

New York City Hall did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Taylor Penley contributed to this reporting.

Las autoridades iraníes anunciaron este domingo que una mina explotó al paso de un petrolero en el estrecho de Ormuz, según informaron fuentes de la Defensa iraní al portal especializado Defence Press y a la agencia semioficial Mehr. La explosión ocurrió en torno al mediodía y no hay constancia de víctimas por ahora, ni más datos sobre el barco más allá de que “se desvió de la ruta especificada por Irán” en su paso por el estrecho.

El tráfico en Ormuz sigue en mínimos históricos debido al doble bloqueo impuesto por Irán y Estados Unidos desde la reanudación de las hostilidades. Según datos de MarineTraffic, el tráfico por el estrecho se redujo el viernes a solo seis cruces confirmados, una caída del 60% respecto al día anterior.

Cinco de esos seis buques siguieron el plan unilateral iraní —la ruta designada por Teherán para el paso de las embarcaciones—, lo que puso de manifiesto la continua concentración del tráfico a lo largo de ese corredor específico. En paralelo, el estrecho de Bab el Mandeb, en la entrada del mar Rojo, registró 49 cruces confirmados, entre ellos cinco buques autorizados, 11 clandestinos y cuatro tránsitos no oficiales, de acuerdo con datos recogidos por la agencia oficial turca Anatolia.

El incidente se produce en medio de una disputa que se arrastra desde hace meses por el control de la navegación en Ormuz, corredor por el que normalmente circula cerca del 20% del petróleo comercializado por vía marítima en el mundo. Irán restringió el paso por la vía cuando comenzó la guerra el 28 de febrero, disparando contra petroleros y cargueros, lo que disparó los precios del petróleo durante todo el conflicto.

Tras la firma de un acuerdo de alto el fuego provisional en junio, estalló una disputa por el control del estrecho: Irán exigió que los barcos usaran una ruta cerca de su litoral y advirtió que podría cobrar tarifas, mientras los buques navegaban cada vez más por una ruta meridional junto a la costa de Omán, dentro de una operación de vigilancia de Estados Unidos. Cuando Irán atacó algunas de esas embarcaciones, Washington reanudó los ataques contra las defensas costeras iraníes y luego amplió sus objetivos hacia puentes e infraestructura en el sur y el centro del país.

Tras la firma de un acuerdo de alto el fuego provisional en junio, estalló una disputa por el control del estrecho: Irán exigió que los barcos usaran una ruta cerca de su litoral y advirtió que podría cobrar tarifas, mientras los buques navegaban cada vez más por una ruta meridional junto a la costa de Omán, dentro de una operación de vigilancia de Estados Unidos. Cuando Irán atacó algunas de esas embarcaciones, Washington reanudó los ataques contra las defensas costeras iraníes y luego amplió sus objetivos hacia puentes e infraestructura en el sur y el centro del país.

A comienzos de julio, Teherán volvió a declarar cerrado el estrecho y Estados Unidos restableció el bloqueo naval sobre puertos y buques iraníes en la zona, medida que había sido suspendida tras el memorando de entendimiento alcanzado a mediados de junio.

La incertidumbre en Ormuz golpea de lleno a las economías del Golfo Pérsico, que dependen fuertemente de la exportación de hidrocarburos. Ante el cierre parcial del estrecho, países como Kuwait han buscado alternativas para sostener su producción: la petrolera estatal Kuwait Petroleum Corporation firmó recientemente un acuerdo de infraestructura de oleoductos valorado en 16.000 millones de dólares con los fondos internacionales Blackstone, KKR y Brookfield, en un intento por diversificar sus rutas de exportación.

La escalada en Ormuz también repercutió en otros puntos calientes de la región: los rebeldes hutíes de Yemen, respaldados por Irán, incrementaron sus ataques contra buques y bases sauditas en el estrecho de Bab el Mandeb, aumentando la presión sobre la otra vía marítima clave para el comercio energético.

En paralelo, Irán y Omán mantuvieron el fin de semana varias rondas de conversaciones técnicas en Teherán para intentar definir mecanismos que garanticen la navegación segura por Ormuz, aunque sin que hasta el momento se hayan registrado cambios en el tráfico marítimo de la zona. Un funcionario regional involucrado en la mediación calificó la actual pausa en los combates como una “señal positiva” para destrabar ese tipo de acuerdos, aunque advirtió que aún no está claro si se trata de una tregua duradera o de una simple pausa operativa.

More than a quarter-million people have been driven from their homes in southwest France as a massive wildfire barrels toward the famed wine capital of Bordeaux, with officials warning the fast-moving inferno has become so fierce it’s creating its own winds and behaving erratically.

French authorities ordered another 55,000 people to evacuate overnight Sunday from communities south of Bordeaux, bringing the total number of evacuees in the region to about 250,000. Gusty winds, dry conditions and repeated heat waves have fueled a fire that has burned out of control since midweek.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said firefighters faced a «difficult» night and warned Sunday that «the situation remains very unfavorable.»

EUROPE’S FIRES REVEAL DEADLY MIX OF RECORD HEAT, HUMAN ERROR, ARSON AND LAND MISMANAGEMENT

«The fire again became extremely virulent again and unpredictable, generating its own winds and advancing erratically toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area,» Nunez posted on X, adding that the blaze «became calmer by the end of the night.»

The fire has now burned an estimated 42,000 hectares, or about 162 square miles — roughly four times the size of Paris — in the Gironde region. Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave said the flames came within about 9 miles of the city, prompting officials to partially close a major highway into and out of the region.

More than 2,500 firefighters, backed by 18 planes and helicopters, are working to slow the fire’s advance. France has also deployed 1,500 soldiers to help clear vegetation and build firebreaks, while several European countries have sent aircraft and firefighting crews to assist.

FRANCE RECORDS MORE THAN 5,700 EXCESS DEATHS DURING HISTORIC EARLY SUMMER HEAT WAVE

Nunez said 450 volunteers have also pitched in to help.

«We ⁠came to lend a hand because if it were our region, we’d want others to do the ​same,» 65-year-old farmer Pascal Roudier told Reuters. «And given the scale of the disaster, we ​think our⁠ efforts are very welcome too.»

Firefighters battle a wildfire near Marcheprime, outside, Bordeaux, France, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

The Bordeaux-area fire is one of several major wildfires burning across France. A separate blaze in the neighboring Landes region has forced another 36,000 people to evacuate, while nearly 3,000 others have left their homes in southern France’s Var region along the Mediterranean coast.

Neighboring Spain is facing its own wildfire emergency.

A firefighter carries a hose while battling a wildfire in San Martin de Valdeiglesias, west of Madrid, Spain, Sunday, July 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Authorities there have evacuated about 116,000 people in recent days as fires burned across the Valencia region and west of Madrid. A fast-moving fire in a Valencia suburb killed one man Saturday, marking Spain’s first wildfire death in the latest wave of fires.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Earlier this month, 13 people were killed in southern Spain in the country’s deadliest wildfire in recent memory.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.