New York Must Lead Where the Federal Government Has Failed
David R. Jones, La Nueva Mayoria / The New Majority
At a moment when federal immigration enforcement has descended into a crisis of lawlessness, New York has an opportunity—and an obligation—to lead the nation toward justice. That is why Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins’ support for the New York for All Act deserves recognition. It is a principled, necessary stand at a time when the federal government’s abuses are literally killing Americans.
Across the country, and acutely in Democratic-led states like New York, ICE and Border Patrol officers have been routinely stopping, questioning, and detaining U.S. citizens and lawfully present residents. These are not isolated mistakes but part of a pattern of unconstitutional policing rooted in racial profiling, intimidation, and unchecked power. And now, the consequences have turned fatal.
We all know what happened last month: Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were killed by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis in separate incidents that can also be described as a gross federal misconduct. When ICE violates court orders nearly 100 times in a single month, as a federal judge reported, and carries out militarized raids that terrorize residents, states must respond.
Last Friday, Governor Kathy Hochul introduced legislation that would bar ICE from co-opting state and local law enforcement in civil immigration enforcement. Her action follows new measures in her State of the State address to protect New Yorkers’ constitutional rights and hold federal agents accountable. When federal agents abuse their authority, trample constitutional rights, and act aggressively, they erode trust between communities and all law enforcement.
That is why the New York for All Act matters so profoundly.
The act (S2235A/A3506) would prohibit state and local agencies from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement in ways that enable abuses—such as sharing personal data, assisting in warrantless detentions, or participating in operations that target people based on race, language, or perceived immigration status. At its core, the New York for All Act reinforces a simple truth: public safety does not come from violating people’s rights.
By advancing the New York for All Act, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins is asserting that New Yorkers will not be conscripted into the federal government’s civil rights violations. She is also upholding a long-standing New York value: the belief that our diversity is a point of pride, not suspicion. The bill ensures that residents can access schools, hospitals, courts, and public services without fear of being profiled, detained, or funneled into a deportation pipeline.
But protecting immigrant communities also means ensuring access to justice. As ICE arrests rise and immigration court backlogs grow, New York must also invest in legal services and guarantee the right to counsel by passing the Access to Representation Act (A270/S141) and the BUILD Act (A2689/S4538). Legal representation dramatically improves a person’s chances of obtaining a favorable outcome in immigration court. Without an attorney, families are far more likely to be separated, By guaranteeing counsel to those who cannot afford it and strengthening the legal services system for the long term, New York can help immigrant New Yorkers remain in their communities and contribute to the state’s future.
In this moment—when masked federal officers stop people without warrants, profiling them because they speak Spanish or look “foreign”—New York must send a resounding message: this is not who we are, and we will not be complicit.
The New York for All Act, Access to Representation Act, and BUILD Act are not just good policy; they represent moral leadership. And it is exactly what this moment demands.