Proposed legislation would protect immigrant communities statewide
Photos and videos available here
Livestream is available here
Albany, NY—Today, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), member organizations, immigrant New Yorkers, elected officials, and allies rallied at the New York State Capitol in support of the New York For All Act (A3506/S2235) for the 2025 New York State Legislative Session.
The New York for All Act is landmark legislation that would prohibit state and local government agencies, including law enforcement, from colluding with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), sharing sensitive personal information, or allocating personnel and resources to aid in federal immigration enforcement efforts.
By reinforcing the separation between local governance and federal immigration policies, the bill ensures that all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, can access public services, care for their families, and participate in community life without fear. Additionally, the legislation preserves critical state and local resources for their intended use within New York’s diverse communities and blocks the use of taxpayer dollars to support a punitive, politically-driven immigration agenda.
“We must make it absolutely clear that New York will not do Donald Trump’s dirty work. Our state will not be complicit in using militarized law enforcement to tear families apart and devastate immigrant communities. New Yorkers refuse to stand by as Trump pushes a divisive, xenophobic agenda rooted in fear and cruelty. With his renewed promises of mass deportations and attacks on immigrant families, it is more urgent than ever that we pass the New York for All Act and ensure our neighbors are protected and our economy strong,” said Murad Awawdeh, CEO and President, New York Immigration Coalition.
"This is a basic truth: tearing apart immigrant families will cause chaos and tank our economy, but it does nothing to keep our communities safe. Local and state government resources should be invested in services that create a safer, more affordable city, not advancing the Trump administration's extremist agenda. If families no longer feel comfortable speaking to the police, going to school or entering shelters, it makes all of us less safe. That's why it's past time to pass my New York for All Act, which creates a clear statewide standard for immigration enforcement and ensures we prioritize true public safety over fearmongering. We can't afford to wait,” said Senator Andrew Gounardes, District 26.
"New Yorkers, no matter their status, deserve protection from the federal government's harsh and draconian enforcement of immigration law. The New York for All Act ensures that the state and local governments are focused on their daily duties, not federal immigration law, through imposing the judicial warrant requirement for compliance and the elimination of 287(g) agreements. We must pass this legislation to ensure that the economic life and social fabric of our communities is secured. The growing coalition of organizations, labor unions and worker justice-centered institutions, and business enterprises underscores the dire need for a change in the state's role in this process,” said Assemblymember Karines Reyes, District 87.
“The Trump administration is executing an unprecedented attack against immigrants and communities of color. Every single day we hear about another father taken away from his children or another student abducted without a warrant. Our state should not be helping ICE conduct its campaign of terror against New Yorkers – that means no more information sharing and no more allowing ICE to detain people at our facilities. Let's get to work and pass legislation like New York for All and Dignity Not Detention,” said Senator Julia Salazar, District 18.
"In this moment, when the federal government is conducting indiscriminate sweeps to detain, deport, and incarcerate people at one of the world's worst prisons without any due process, it is imperative that New York State does everything in its power to protect our people. The federal administration has shown us who they are. We know these attacks will continue and intensify, without concern for Constitutional protections, legal precedent, or even citizenship status. New York for All will protects immigrants — those with legal status and those without. Failure to pass it is a total abdication of leadership,” said Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, District 50.
“New York City is a city of immigrants,” said Assembly Member Harvey Epstein. “ It is the diverse array of people who bring with them their unique experiences, cultures, and traditions that make our city so great. My family immigrated here, and our newest New Yorkers deserve the same opportunities to build a life here. As the current administration threatens the detention and deportation of immigrants, New York must stand prepared to protect immigrant communities. I am proud to co-sponsor the New York for All Act, which we must pass this session," said Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, District 74.
“I represent a community of immigrants who work hard, love this state, and deserve to live without fear. But right now, our families are scared. They’re scared that a routine traffic stop, a visit to the doctor, or just walking down the street could end in deportation. That’s not safety — that’s terror. The New York for All Act is how we fight back. It says loud and clear: our state won’t be a tool for ICE. We won’t let federal cruelty rip our families apart. We’re drawing the line and we’re doing it right here, right now,” said Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia, District 86.
"The Trump administration's most recent immigration actions - deporting children who are U.S. citizens, sending masked officers to kidnap people off of the street, disappearing people to foreign prisons with no due process - are downright unconscionable. We need to do whatever we can to ensure that no New Yorkers are subjected to such atrocious treatment. Passing New York for All will enable appropriate parties to assist with lawful orders to ensure accountability for those who have been involved in criminal activity, while also ensuring that New York's police resources are not usurped by the federal government,” said Assemblymember Dana Levenberg, District 95.
“Como todos dejan sus países para tener una vida mejor, ya que la vida en México es más difícil. Los que tienen hijos acá, y los llegan a separar crecerían sin el amor del padre/ madre. Si los padres son deportados, ellos sufren por las separación y preocupación de con quién se quedan los niños. Es muy importante apoyar a Ny4all,” said Jesus Mendoza, Agricultural Worker and Member, Alianza Agrícola.
"Every New York family that has been separated due to local and state agencies colluding with federal immigration enforcement is in the hands of legislative leadership. Despite overwhelming support for New York for All, leaders of the houses, and committee leadership have failed to bring it to a vote and are therefore complacent with what is promised to be the largest mass deportation campaign in history," said Bryan MacCormack, Co-Executive Director, Columbia County Sanctuary Movement.
“It is time for New York State to pass The New York For All Act. This bill makes communities safer by making clear that everyone can interact with state and local officials without fear of collusion with ICE. New York has no business doing ICE’s job for them, and this bill will make clear to all New Yorkers that our State stands with them, no matter where they were born or how long they have been in this country,” said Rosa Cohen-Cruz, Director of Immigration Policy, The Bronx Defenders.
“There is no mystery about what this federal administration is doing to immigrant New Yorkers - surveilling them, criminalizing them, targeting them, separating them from their families, and mounting terror tactics by the day. We will not wait one minute longer for New York state leadership to pass the New York for All Act, and make it clear: New York refuses to be a part of Trump’s dirty work by colluding with ICE in his mass deportation agenda. Today, New Yorkers stand together, rejecting racist and xenophobic divisions, and we call on our legislature to stand with us now,” said Linda Flor Brito, Senior Policy and Campaigns Organizer, Immigrant Defense Project.
“In a time when the Trump administration is disappearing immigrant students from our streets, sending immigrant fathers to foreign black-hole prisons, and deporting immigrant mothers alongside their ailing American-born children, our state leaders must take a strong stand to protect immigrant New Yorkers and ensure we are not complicit. New York for All will keep ICE from hijacking our state and local resources – including police – to carry out Trump’s cruel and increasingly lawless mass deportation agenda. We must do all we can to protect immigrant New Yorkers, who have always made our state more vibrant, prosperous, and safe,” said Zachary Ahmad, Senior Policy Counsel, New York Civil Liberties Union.
“When Donald Trump was elected in 2016, I was 8 years old, and I feared that I would be separated from my mother and that she could be deported. Now, nine years later, those same feelings have reemerged. This fear has become the norm for me and my peers in school, especially since we live on Long Island, where the local police are collaborating with ICE. That’s why I'm telling my story and calling on Governor Hochul and including my Senator Monica Martinez to do everything in their power to protect our communities by passing New York for All. We need to take the steps of New Jersey, California, Illinois, and Washington that have already passed legislation to protect our communities. Passing New York for All is overdue,” said Jax, Youth Member, Make the Road New York.
“The time has never been more urgent to pass the New York For All Act, a critical defense against President Trump's unlawful, inhumane, and indiscriminate deportations that devastate our communities, erase due process, and chip away at democracy. This bill protects New York from federal overreach and abuse, allowing our state to focus vital resources on responding to emergencies, ensuring stable communities, and maintaining a robust workforce—not ripping families apart,” said Rosie Wang, Program Manager for the Advancing Universal Representation initiative, Vera Institute of Justice.
“Our upstate communities have been thrown into chaos by aggressive collusion between local law enforcement and ICE. Families are afraid to drive to doctors appointments in Syracuse and Fulton, farmworkers are afraid to drive to the grocery store in the North Country, children are being separated from their parents, left with no family here. We have already seen a tragic death in the North Country of a worker who was afraid to leave the farm where he works to seek medical attention. We need our state legislators to take a stand this legislative session. Our communities cannot wait, “ said Jessica Maxwell, Executive Director, Workers Center of Central New York.