By Corinne Haverford
The Feed is The Buffalo Chronicle’s weekly report on the biggest public conversations on social media. Engagement figures are as displayed on each platform at the time noted.
Two moves by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration in the days after her re-election set off the most talk in Western New York this week: federal lawsuits challenging the protected status of Seneca Nation land in Buffalo and on Grand Island, and a Nov. 25 deadline for counties to end agreements that let ICE hold civil immigration detainees in local jails. In Canada, the budget’s immigration numbers drew a sharp fight between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Nationally, President Donald Trump’s choice of Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff, three days after Republicans lost control of Congress, drew millions of views.
This report covers Nov. 2 to Nov. 8. Counts were checked Monday between 2:40 and 2:50 a.m. ET.
New York goes to court over Seneca land in Buffalo and on Grand Island
New York filed two federal lawsuits on Friday, Nov. 6, against the U.S. Interior Department. One challenges a 2023 decision that gave restricted-fee status to Seneca Nation parcels at 5 Miami St. and 124 Chicago St. in Buffalo’s Old First Ward, where the Nation is building a Seneca One Stop. The other challenges a February 2026 decision covering 207 acres off Long Road on Grand Island, which WGRZ reported the Nation acquired in December 2025 for $1. The state argues neither property was shown to be bought with Seneca Nation Settlement Act funds, according to WIVB.
The Buffalo News’ post on the suits (@TheBuffaloNews, Nov. 7) had 54,397 views, 114 replies and 58 quote posts as of 2:45 a.m. ET Monday. Many of the posts we read criticized the governor, from accounts describing themselves as both progressive and conservative; others repeated the New York Post’s description of the Buffalo site as a “controversial gas station and pot shop.” The city of Buffalo and the town of Grand Island had already gone to court over the two sites.
Hochul spokesperson Ryan Whalen said, as quoted by Spectrum News: “Governor Hochul is committed to a strong, productive relationship between the State and the Seneca Nation and she respects the principles of tribal sovereignty. The governor also has an obligation to protect the interests of all western New Yorkers.” Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca called the filings “the same disrespectful, anti-Seneca treatment” the Nation has come to expect from Albany and the governor’s “latest attempt to extinguish us,” EEW Magazine reported. He said he learned of the suits from news reports during Native American Heritage Month.
Fact check: Posts saying the state is trying to strip the Seneca Nation of its sovereignty overstate the case. The lawsuits target the restricted-fee status of these specific parcels; they do not challenge the Nation’s federal recognition or its existing territories. Buffalo litigator Barry Covert told WGRZ the state “has got quite the burden to overcome” and that the cases could take years.
A Nov. 25 deadline for ICE agreements in county jails
Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James sent letters on Nov. 6 telling county executives and sheriffs they must end any agreement to hold people for federal civil immigration violations by Nov. 25, under the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act signed in May (governor’s office). The governor posted on Nov. 6 (@GovKathyHochul): “New York counties have until November 25 to end agreements allowing ICE to use local jails for civil immigration detention. Local law enforcement should be focused on keeping their communities safe.” The post had 78,801 views and 1,279 replies as of 2:45 a.m. ET Monday, more replies than any of her other posts from the week that we checked.
In Western New York, Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti told WGRZ he has canceled his 287(g) agreement and will comply, but called the law a “misdirected public safety policy coming from Albany.” He said he will still tell ICE when someone held on a local or state charge is about to be released. Erie County Sheriff John Garcia said his office never had such an agreement but called the law “an overreach by the state.”
Fact check: The law does not end all cooperation with ICE. It bars local jails from holding people solely for civil immigration violations; it still allows contracts for people facing federal criminal charges and compliance with court orders and judicial warrants. A thread that ranked among r/Buffalo’s top posts of the week, in which a user said a North Tonawanda DMV office called ICE on a family friend, could not be verified by The Buffalo Chronicle, and we have not identified the user or the person described.
Canada’s budget and a record immigration number
Budget 2026, tabled Nov. 5, kept Canada’s regular target at 380,000 new permanent residents a year, but it also promised permanent residency in 2027 to up to 200,000 temporary residents already living in Canada, on top of one-time programs from last year’s budget. CBC News put the possible 2027 total at 657,250.
Poilievre’s post on Nov. 6 (@PierrePoilievre) was the most viewed post on the subject that we found: “Carney snuck into the budget a massive immigration increase with the LARGEST NUMBER OF NEW PERMANENT RESIDENTS EVER next year. Nearly 200,000 more than Trudeau’s highest-ever number year.” It had 301,647 views, 11,035 likes and 2,981 reposts as of 2:45 a.m. ET Monday. Carney replied in public remarks that the levels are “in line with sustainable immigration.” Of the 200,000, he said: “These are people who are not permanent in terms of the classification, but are effectively permanent residents, and we’re recognizing that” (CBC). On X he wrote: “We are masters of our destiny. Budget 2026 is our plan to build a stronger, more united Canada” (@MarkJCarney, Nov. 5).
Fact check: Poilievre’s “largest ever” claim holds only if the one-time conversions are counted, and most of those people already live in Canada. The 657,250 figure is about 172,000 above the 485,000 target the Trudeau government set for 2024 (IRCC), so “nearly 200,000” overstates the gap somewhat. The government’s figures that temporary residents and asylum claims are down since 2024 come from the budget and have not been independently checked here.
Talk of a trade deal also carried into the week: Trump told reporters on Sunday, Nov. 1, that the two countries have “the concept of a deal that’s going to be great for our farmers, great for our country, and it’ll be fine for Canada,” as quoted by @WashTimes, and said it could revive Keystone XL. Carney called the talks constructive. No agreement had been announced as of Sunday.
Trump names Stephen Miller chief of staff
Three days after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, the White House posted Trump’s announcement on Nov. 6 (@WhiteHouse): “I am pleased to announce that Mr. Stephen Miller, the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the Trump Administration, and one of my most trusted advisors, will become the Chief of Staff starting Monday, November 9, 2026. Susie Wiles, who has done an outstanding job, will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation.” That post had 3,717,628 views as of 2:45 a.m. ET Monday.
Miller’s own post (@StephenM, Nov. 6) had 3,656,815 views, 159,716 likes and 16,947 replies: “The mission now is more clear than ever: Fight with all of our soul to support our President and defend this magnificent Republic.” He thanked “the incomparable Susie Wiles for her years of devoted service.” The White House’s announcement credited Miller with “driving violent crime to historic lows” and “securing the border at unprecedented levels.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer answered the same afternoon (@SenSchumer): “Stephen Miller is the architect of the most barbaric, inhumane policies of this administration. Trump couldn’t have made a worse choice. Our Democratic majorities will fight him every step of the way.” That post had 735,496 views and 9,194 replies, more replies than likes.
Context: The change came after Trump told NBC News in mid-October that Wiles would be there “until the end.” A White House official told NBC and AFP that Wiles resigned Thursday night. Asked why, Trump told reporters, “Sometimes in life you have to make moves” (AFP).
Also in the feed
- Hochul’s election-night post, “I ❤️ New York! And tomorrow, I’ll get up and go right back to work” (@GovKathyHochul), had 214,697 views. She carried Erie County 54.94% to 44.67% over Bruce Blakeman in unofficial results reported Wednesday by WIVB. Threads on Rep. Nick Langworthy’s re-election and Erie County’s slow final count ranked in r/Buffalo’s top posts for the week.
- UB paused its Flock license-plate camera pilot so its Police Advisory Committee can gather campus input, a follow-up to the last two editions of this column. The r/Buffalo thread on the pause ranked among the subreddit’s top posts of the week.
Sources: WIVB; WGRZ; Spectrum News; EEW Magazine; Office of the Governor; CBC News; IRCC; The White House; NBC News; AP.
Featured photo: The Niagara River shoreline on Grand Island, by Andre Carrotflower / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.
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