Hundreds of New Yorkers from across the state marched through the Capitol on the opening day of the legislative session Wednesday to urge the state legislature and the governor to take immediate action for immigrant communities by passing legislation that will protect all New Yorkers.
Some lawmakers joined community members, families, immigrant and legal activists, and unions to call for urgent passage of four bills pending in the legislature that would take steps to protect immigrant communities: the New York for All Act, Dignity Not Detention Act, Access to Representation Act, and Clemency Justice Act.
“I lived through the first Trump administration, and I witnessed how community members, neighbors, family, friends, and I were terrified to go to work, pick up our children from school, or even go to church, “ said Fabricio Astaiza, member of Make the Road New York. “We felt like there was a target on our backs and feared that one day we would leave our homes and not come back. Every New Yorker, regardless of immigration status, deserves to walk down the street without fear that ICE will detain them and separate them from their loved ones. New York State must prohibit all state and local agencies from cooperating with ICE. With Trump’s second inauguration fast approaching, our elected officials have the moral obligation to do the right thing to support and pass vital legislation that will protect immigrants like me and our families.”
In a matter of days, President-elect Donald Trump is expected to enact his promised plan of mass deportation and aggressive immigration enforcement, which, according to proponents will “separate New York families, destabilize our communities, and devastate the state’s economy.”
Those who rallied on Wednesday stated the legislature and governor must ensure New Yorkers are protected against Trump’s mass deportation agenda by passing the following four bills and signing them into law this session:
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New York for All Act: Protects immigrants from being funneled to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by prohibiting all state and local agencies from cooperating with ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or participating in their cruelty.
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Dignity Not Detention Act: Ends ICE’s contracts with local jails, ensuring that NY is not profiting off of ICE detention, and not adding to ICE’s detention capacity.
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Access to Representation Act: Creates a right to counsel in New York State immigration courts for immigrants at risk of deportation and ensures funding for sustainable, high-quality immigration legal services.
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Clemency Justice Act: Creates a fair, transparent, and accessible clemency application process in New York State, which is critical to protect New Yorkers facing exile due to the double punishment of the criminal and immigration legal systems.
“All people are created in the image of God and need to be treated as such. There is no biblical mandate greater than to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves which means we are called to extend the boldest possible welcome to strangers in our own land. The immigration system is not great and could do so much more to model welcome. Every indication is that the incoming administration is working overtime to make a broken immigration system even more inhospitable by making it as hard as possible for people to come here, remain here, and improve their lives while contributing fully to our economy. We must resist these changes to the immigration system which are rooted in mean-spiritedness and a denial of constitutional rights. Passing these four bills can at least lessen the promised damage and begin creating a space for us to work together to truly transform our immigration system and make it more just and humane.” The Reverend Peter Cook, Executive Director, New York State Council of Churches.
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