May 7, 2026
In response to the Governor’s announcement today of the FY27 budget, which included an immigration package of “protections against ICE,” Yasmine Farhang, Executive Director of the Immigrant Defense Project, issued the following statement:
“Tens of thousands of New Yorkers are living with daily fear as Trump continues to terrorize New Yorkers with a violent mass detention and deportation agenda. Yet, the immigration package being finalized by the Governor and leaders in the legislature continues to give law enforcement carte blanche to collude with ICE, using discriminatory and aggressive policing to surveil, racially profile and target immigrant New Yorkers.
“Today, Governor Hochul named Mr. Alam – who died as a result of New York law enforcement colluding with federal immigration agents – and said “[t]hat’s not who we are.” Yet she failed Mr. Alam today by pushing a package that would never have protected him. This is an abdication of responsibility to New York families being separated across our state and an injustice to Mr. Alam’s memory and his family.
“There is support for the New York for All Act across the state – including from labor unions, faith leaders, health care workers, educators, and advocates – but instead of heeding the call of our communities, Governor Hochul’s legislation ripped the heart out of that bill. That means that in most of the state, any New Yorker stopped by the police, arrested for any reason, or who earns their release after finishing their sentence, remains at risk of being funneled into ICE detention using our local resources. We are calling on the Governor and Senate and Assembly leadership to show they have a heart and a spine and pass New York for All by the end of the session.”
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