Legislative Memo: New York for All Act

Immigrant New Yorkers make invaluable contributions to our communities, economy, and culture. Yet many of New York’s 4.4 million foreign-born residents live in fear of being arrested, detained, and deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Underlying that fear is the fact that ICE has built its notoriously cruel enforcement infrastructure on the backs of state and local authorities, sending the message to immigrants that participating in local government programs or even sending a child to school could be the first step on a path to deportation.

New York must follow the lead of other U.S. states and cities by passing the New York For All Act and making certain that it won’t entangle itself in the business of immigration enforcement.