As Donald Trump prepares for a return to the White House, immigrants are bracing for his promised mass deportations and family separations to become real. Now, New York must confront the devastating impact of these actions when — not if — they come to our communities.
Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda, fueled by the xenophobic fantasies of staffers like incoming “border czar” Tom Homan, will undoubtedly undermine decades of progress in making New York a place where all can thrive. And as bad as the first term was, the sequel promises to be worse — especially when the mayor of New York City says he and Homan share “the same goal” while he proactively looks into how City Hall can circumvent the city’s long-standing sanctuary policies.
Trump and Homan’s goals are antithetical to New York and American values. They want to rewrite clear constitutional protections and eliminate birthright citizenship. Trump’s threat to deport refugees and asylum seekers with legal status unravels internationally recognized precedent. The wanton mass deportation of immigrants with workplace and community raids will destabilize families and neighborhoods alike — regardless of one’s status — and impact economies that rely on immigrant labor.
Even Americans who support Trump’s deportation agenda are beginning to acknowledge the harm — recent polling from Scripps News/Ipsos found support for deportations drops 15 percentage points if it means separating families and 10 points if deportations result in higher prices of goods.
Our state and local leaders are the last defense against unconstitutional and immoral federal policies. We will suffer irreparable harm without instituting legal protections for all our neighbors regardless of where they were born. New York can affirm our commitment to dignity and opportunity for all by passing the New York for All Act and the Access to Representation Act.
The New York for All Act is a crucial first step in protecting immigrant communities from becoming collateral damage in Trump’s deportation agenda. It would ensure that state and local resources are not weaponized to advance federal immigration enforcement, which Trump has promised will rely on military intervention.
In practice, NY4All prohibits local law enforcement and other agencies from colluding with federal immigration authorities without a judicial warrant, as many jurisdictions across the country already do. By drawing a clear line between local services and federal immigration enforcement, this bill would help all New Yorkers feel safe calling law enforcement when they are victims of a crime or accessing health care and other essential services without the threat of arrest and deportation.
It’s equally crucial that New Yorkers who are unjustly caught up in the immigration court system have access to legal resources and representation. The Access to Representation Act would guarantee immigrants facing the court system — including children separated from their families — don’t have to go through it alone.
Unlike in criminal cases, immigrants — including those who have lived in our communities for decades and contributed to our economies — have no constitutional right to an attorney while facing expert prosecutors and judges.
Today, legal services have proven crucial in how New York responds to immigration issues. Immigrants with legal representation are more than 10 times more likely to win their cases and avoid deportation to countries with which they often have no ties. With a $165 million investment in the upcoming state budget, New York can fund the ARA and be a model to other states, affirming that due process is a right, not a privilege based on where you’re born or how much money you have.
Under Trump’s first term, we witnessed an unprecedented crackdown on immigrant communities: travelers from Muslim countries arbitrarily held in airports, children separated from their parents at the border, DREAMers and Temporary Protected Status recipients living in constant fear, and an alarming rise in ICE raids.
Protecting immigrant communities isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s necessary for our state’s social and economic well-being. Immigrants contribute billions annually in taxes and labor to sectors ranging from agriculture to technology — they are our state’s backbone. Nearly 1 in 4 New York State residents are foreign-born. They are not “others.” They are our neighbors, coworkers and friends. They are us.
Gov. Hochul and the Legislature must act to support all New Yorkers. As the incoming White House threatens to divide and dehumanize, New York can stand for our proud immigrant legacy. Will we enable the federal assault on our neighbors or reaffirm that everyone belongs in New York? For the future of our state, we must choose inclusion.
The time to act is now.
Awawdeh is president & CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition.