January 07, 2025
Advocates urge lawmakers to pass New York for All Act and stop using state resources to fund mass deportations
Albany, NY – As the New York State (NYS) Legislature convened for its first day of session today, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins called for “protecting our immigrant brothers and sisters by advancing goals set forth in New York for All.” In the wake of these remarks, the Immigrant Defense Project is calling on lawmakers to prioritize passage of the New York for All Act (S2235-Gounardes / A3506-Reyes), a long-overdue bill that would stop state tax dollars from further fueling federal deportation efforts that are tearing apart New York communities. The following is a statement from Executive Director Yasmine Farhang:
Across the state, ICE is disappearing our immigrant neighbors and friends through abusive and horrifying tactics – and our state is paying for it in every sense of the word. New York’s tax dollars and resources are fueling ICE’s inhumane behavior, rather than supporting programs that keep our communities safe, thriving, and whole. We welcome the Majority Leader’s important remarks today and urge the legislature and the Governor to enact the New York for All Act as soon as possible, to ensure that our own resources are not used against our own residents.
Today, local governments across New York have signed at least 11 “287(g)” mass deportation agreements, directly using our state resources to separate families and destabilize our communities. There has also been a rampant increase in collusion between local agencies and ICE in areas where 287(g) deportation agreements do not yet exist.
In contrast, other “blue states,” like California and Illinois, have enacted comprehensive protections that limit these abuses and keep families together. New York must catch up.
Let’s be clear: when police and sheriffs act as ICE agents through programs such as 287(g), racial profiling increases, trust in local government erodes, and more people are stopped, arrested, and separated from their families simply because they are Black, brown, or speak English with an accent. In counties where 287(g) agreements are in effect, local law enforcement is already acting as deportation agents on the street, with devastating consequences for families and entire neighborhoods.
The New York for All Act will end these injustices. And it will close other loopholes so that ICE cannot seize our local resources to tear families apart.
Immigrant New Yorkers are our neighbors, friends, coworkers, and loved ones. Like all New Yorkers, they want the same basic things: to participate in their communities, care for their families, and live without fear.
As the legislative session begins, we urge lawmakers to listen to the stories of those whom ICE has disappeared and the communities that have been left reeling. These stories make clear that we cannot wait another day to pass the New York for All Act. New York lawmakers must act now and stop being complicit in a cruel and inhumane deportation agenda.
To learn more about the New York for All Act and why it matters, visit: https://www.nyclu.org/uploads/2020/02/251212-OnePager-NY4All-ENG-all-logos-v2.pdf
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