New York advocates want Gov. Kathy Hochul to guarantee immigrant rights protections amid immigration actions and a second killing by immigration agents in Minneapolis this month.
Hochul is championing bills to protect people’s constitutional rights and restrict civil immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant at schools, hospitals and other sensitive locations.
Luba Cortes, civil rights and immigration lead organizer for the group Make the Road New York, said the comprehensive New York for All Act is vital to guaranteeing immigrants’ safety.
“It ends the 287(g) agreement that deputizes local law enforcement to act as agents of ICE,” Cortes pointed out. “It ensures immigrants feel safe in New York and not feel persecuted by senseless law enforcement.”
The bill faces opposition because it is a blanket termination of all 287(g) agreements statewide. Counties can opt into the program, allowing their sheriffs to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Cortes argued the collaborations cause fear, especially if people think ICE could show up with an ambulance or other emergency services. The bill has been considered by the legislature every year since 2019 but has garnered more positive feedback in recent years.
Immigrant communities in New York and nationwide are gripped by worries of being profiled by ICE agents who have made their presence known in various parts of the state. While the New York for All Act is a comprehensive way to legislate these concerns, Cortes suggested how the state can build on the bill.
“There’s also ‘Dignity Not Detention,’ which would ensure the contract between ICE and jails no longer happen,” Cortes explained. “That is also something the state can do to continue to protect immigrant New Yorkers, ensuring there is money for (immigrant) legal representation.”
Contracts between jails and ICE are common. A 2025 Prison Policy Initiative report found more than 19,000 people under ICE detention are held in local jails and another 5,200 who are not counted in daily ICE numbers are held in local jails on ICE “holds.”
Edwin is a reporter and producer in North Tonawanda, New York. He’s previously reported for the Niagara Gazette and the Ithaca Times. Edwin got an early start in radio interning for WBFO-88.7FM, NPR’s Buffalo affiliate. In 2018, he graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College with a B.A. in Journalism, and in 2022, graduated from Syracuse University with an M.S. in Communications.