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Luba Cortes, Immigration Lead Organizer with Make the Road New York.<\/p>\n
Photo by Jimmy Robles<\/p>\n
After months of advocacy, rallies, and public pressure to support immigrant communities in New York, proponents of the New York for All Act were left disheartened when the legislation failed to reach a vote<\/a> in either the State Senate or Assembly before the end of the legislative session earlier this month.<\/p>\n The New York for All Act is a proposed state law that would bar local and state law enforcement from collaborating with federal immigration authorities. It aims to prevent officers from sharing personal information, inquiring about immigration status, or honoring ICE detainers, unless required by law\u2014measures advocates say are key to protecting immigrant communities and building public trust.<\/p>\n \u201cTo not see a pass was very devastating for our community members who are experiencing raids,\u201d said Luba Cortes, Immigration Lead Organizer with Make the Road New York<\/a> (MTRNY). \u201cThere are those who are afraid to go to the hospital because they think that ICE will target them. They are afraid to take their kids to school when they\u2019ve seen ICE present outside of schools. This really was detrimental to our community members because we really wanted clear protections from the state.\u201d<\/p>\n Cortes was among the many advocates who traveled to Albany this year to push for passage of the legislation, which seeks to limit state and local collaboration with federal immigration enforcement.\u00a0As time dwindled on the legislative calendar, she also joined MTRNY members at a\u00a0Stand Up Against ICE rally<\/a> at Foley Square in Manhattan. Despite the setback, MTRNY and other organizations are now calling on Albany leadership to reconvene in a special session to reconsider the bill.<\/p>\n With the next regular legislative session scheduled to begin in January 2026, advocates say a special session would offer an opportunity to revive the bill before year\u2019s end. Governor Kathy Hochul has the authority to call such a session. \u201cTime is ticking, and individuals are being persecuted by ICE,\u201d said Cortes.<\/p>\n Cortes also highlighted counties across New York\u2014such as Rensselaer, Nassau, Broome, and Niagara\u2014that have agreements under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act Section 287(g)<\/a>, allowing local law enforcement officers to act as ICE agents. She said ending those agreements is critical to safeguarding immigrant communities.<\/p>\n \u201cImmigrants deserve due process; they have constitutional rights,\u201d said Cortes. \u201cAnd we\u2019re reminding individuals of that power. When we\u2019re seeing ICE outside of schools. We want to let parents know that they have rights. They have the right to remain silent. They don\u2019t have to consent to searches. And this is no way of violating the law. This is their constitutional right.\u201d<\/p>\n In response to the growing presence of ICE at immigration courts, MTRNY staff have been accompanying community members to hearings, aiming to serve as a legal and moral presence. But Cortes said ICE agents have sought to restrict access to observers. \u201cSo that they don\u2019t see what is happening,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Cortes cited a recent incident involving mayoral candidate and U.S. citizen Brad Lander as particularly troubling. Lander was reportedly detained by ICE<\/a> agents at the city\u2019s main immigration court in Manhattan while accompanying an immigrant whose case had just been dismissed. According to Cortes, Lander asked the agents to produce a judicial warrant and was nonetheless confronted.<\/p>\n She believes the incident was a deliberate display of force. \u201cIf we\u2019re seeing people like Brad, who has a lot of civility and popularity,\u201d said Cortes. \u201cHe was a mayoral candidate, being manhandled by ICE agents. Then what happens to the people in the court, that don\u2019t have eyes on them? We know from the videos we\u2019ve seen that ICE has tackled people, and that\u2019s what\u2019s concerning to us. But there are other individuals who are not as lucky as Brad.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_4299.jpg\")
Immigration advocates are pushing to pass the New York for All Act. Photo by Jimmy Robles<\/p>\n