With Donald Trump set to return to the White House in January, discussion of immigration policies for the incoming administration has hit close to home. As federal immigration policies shift under a new administration, some local governments and advocacy groups are bracing for the impact on their communities.

The Village of Montgomery, though, is an exception. Mayor Mike Hembury expects no changes in the village with respect to a new occupant in the White House.

He said a number of residents have approached him in recent weeks.

“I don’t know why this would change,” Hembury said. “but since the election, the presidential election, they wanted to know was our village still a non sanctuary village?”

The mayor said Montgomery is, and will remain, a non-sanctuary village.

“And we’ll continue to cooperate with the federal authorities at ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to keep our residents safe.”

The issue was first raised in March, when Hembury, then a village trustee, proposed a resolution to declare the village a non-sanctuary municipality. The resolution was passed by the village board.

“We’re here to look out for the residents,” he said at the time. “I want our police department to be in full cooperation with our federal authorities. I want to find out if the senior center, the teen center, or the elementary school center are housing migrants overnight.”

President-elect Trump had made border security a campaign issue and has promised that mass deportations would begin on the day he takes office.

In the neighboring Town of Newburgh, attention turned to migrants housed in local hotels under contracts with New York City. These arrangements, stemming from the arrival of asylum seekers in 2023, prompted a state of emergency declaration and a lawsuit by Orange County. Town Supervisor Gil Piaquadio said the contracts are expected to end in December 2024, but it is unclear whether they will be renewed.