January 29, 2026
New York, NY – On Thursday January 29, 2026, the New York City Council voted to override Mayor Adams’ lame duck veto of the Safer Sanctuary Act. In response, the ICE Out! NYC Coalition issued the following statement:
“Thanks to the efforts of Councilmember Tiffany Cabán, Councilmember Alexa Avilés, Speaker Julie Menin, and their supermajority colleagues, no future mayoral administration can circumvent the clear intent of our sanctuary laws by giving federal agents free reign on Rikers or any DOC property for civil immigration enforcement.
“New York City is a safer city because of this effort. But as we have seen in Minneapolis and in the countless stories of immigrants detained, arrested, and shot around the country (including in New York City), immigration enforcement agents act and kill with impunity. And in far too many cases, our own city agencies have colluded with ICE in this deportation agenda.
“The Council should not wait to strengthen our sanctuary laws further. Now is the time to pass legislation like the NYC Trust Act, which would give immigrant New Yorkers the power to sue the City if they are harmed by unlawful collusion between federal agencies and the City.
“With the passage of the Safer Sanctuary Act, the Council once again leads the State on meeting the moment to protect the rights of all New Yorkers. It must continue that leadership.”
To learn more about the Safe Sanctuary Act see here.
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