Opinion: New York For All promotes public safety and protects families

It should have been like any other weekday afternoon for Sarah, cooking dinner and waiting for her husband and stepsons to return from work. But they never made it home. When Sarah received a frantic phone call from her husband – his voice shaky and filled with fear – he delivered the news that would change everything: he and her stepsons had been pulled over by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with the assistance of the Rochester Police Department. Suddenly, she was facing the kind of nightmare her family had long feared but hoped would never come true. The life they worked hard to build together – rooted in sacrifice, hope and safety – was now threatened by a single terrifying encounter. 

Now, Sarah and her family are left to pick up the pieces as they grapple with uncertainty, fear and the emotional trauma inflicted by a broken immigration system that continues to target and tear apart families like hers.

As a sanctuary city, Rochester prohibits local police from colluding with federal immigration enforcement. However, body camera footage released by the city of Rochester revealed that local officers violated the city’s laws by initiating contact with the men, directing them to exit the car and helping ICE handcuff them. 

This family’s terrifying story is just one recent example of the chaos and cruelty unleashed by President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda, currently being intensified by local law enforcement working with ICE across New York State. Since Trump’s second inauguration, raids across New York have increased, tearing families apart and detaining longtime community members without explanation or due process. In March, ICE detained 133 people across New York state. In early April, they detained more than 100 people in New York City. Families are being left in the dark, unaware of their loved ones' whereabouts, unable to contact legal support and with no answers from federal officials. 

We are bearing witness to the harm that befalls our communities when local law enforcement collaborates with ICE. These tactics create a climate of fear that forces immigrant New Yorkers into the shadows. When trust is broken between police and the local communities they’re meant to protect, immigrants – regardless of status – feel unsafe doing routine activities. Police cannot keep communities safe when our neighbors and fellow New Yorkers are afraid to report a crime or an emergency.

Our constituents and thousands of other New Yorkers are also growing fearful of attending medical appointments, picking up their children from school or even just going grocery shopping. This fear puts their lives at greater risk and weakens public safety for everyone. No one should live in fear of being separated from their loved ones over something as routine as commuting home from work. 

New York does not have to stand by and allow Trump’s racist and xenophobic playbook to continue in our communities. We have seen this agenda before – built on targeting immigrants, spreading fear and tearing families apart. The urgency has only grown in the wake of Trump’s latest executive order targeting sanctuary cities. We have the power to prevent a tragedy – like the one in Rochester – from happening again to another New York family. As a state that prides itself on diversity and justice, New York must live up to its values by enacting fundamental protections for immigrant communities. That means ending the pipelines that funnel our neighbors into federal custody. 

The New York for All Act makes that possible by prohibiting state and local agencies from collaborating with ICE and blocking the sharing of private information with immigration authorities. New York For All would explicitly prevent counties from signing 287(g) agreements that deputize local police as ICE agents, as was recently implemented in Nassau and Broome Counties in addition to Rensselaer County’s long-standing agreement with ICE. Action is more urgent than ever, especially following the recent agreement between the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security to share data, demonstrating how personal information can be weaponized against immigrants. New York For All is how we can protect our neighbors, keep families together and build a future grounded in justice, free from fear and division. 

When local police and state agencies don’t cooperate with ICE, it leads to safer and more integrated communities. Research shows that sanctuary policies similar to the New York for All Act contribute to lower crime rates compared to non-sanctuary counties. A study from the American Immigration Council found that these policies do not pose any threat to public safety. When all community members, regardless of immigration status, feel safe seeking help from the police or accessing medical attention, our neighborhoods become stronger and more secure.

All New Yorkers want the same thing: safe communities where families can thrive and futures can be built with hope. The New York state Legislature can no longer stand on the sidelines and witness another family being separated. The New York for All Act will protect New York families, uphold their dignity and ensure that no one in our state lives in fear that an everyday outing will result in permanent separation from their loved ones.