Opinion: Words of condemnation aren’t enough. Lawmakers must pass anti-ICE legislation.

Earlier this week, dozens of ICE agents violently raided Chinatown with military trucks, machine guns and pepper spray. New Yorkers and a handful of elected officials put their safety on the line to immediately mobilize in the streets. Politicians who couldn’t be there in person quickly spoke out.   

This is an ongoing cycle – ICE does something terrible, community members fight back and lawmakers issue words of condemnation. But if we fail as lawmakers to match our words with action, we're giving ICE the green light to continue to escalate. 

As a state senator representing a district significantly impacted by ICE’s raids, I’m calling on state leaders and lawmakers to immediately rally around legislation that will help protect our constituents from ICE.

Since January, ICE has taken more than 4,600 New Yorkers that we know of. Many are deported within days and without any due process. Manhattan’s 26 Federal Plaza, where immigration hearings happen, has generally been ground zero of ICE's escalatory actions in the city.   

At 26 Federal Plaza, masked ICE agents stalk the halls to kidnap New Yorkers right from their mandatory court hearings. We’re hearing reports of volunteer court observers being threatened with $1,000 fines or 30 days in jail if they inform immigrant New Yorkers of their legal rights. My team has been chased out of a floor just for talking to people attending their hearings. Federal agents have been caught on camera violently throwing loved ones and photojournalists to the ground, forcing them to seek hospital care for their injuries. 

Last month, eleven of us elected officials demanded access to the 10th floor, where ICE illegally detains people they’ve taken. ICE has not allowed anyone inside to inspect the conditions of what has become a de facto jail, even after courts ruled that their behavior was unlawful. Instead of allowing us inside, agents duct-taped and zip-tied the doors shut, and arrested us.  

The abductions already happening in places like Cayuga County and Long Island, the crisis I just described at Federal Plaza, and now the raids happening in broad daylight on the streets of New York City are all clear examples of ICE’s quick escalation. New Yorkers need lawmakers to step up and actually legislate against ICE.

Myself and others are advocating for legislation like the New York for All Act and Dignity Not Detention Act, which is my bill. New York for All would prohibit New York government agencies, including the NYPD, from needlessly colluding with ICE. Several departments and agencies across our state are shamefully collaborating with ICE, rather than protecting our vulnerable communities. New York for All would help put an end to that.

The Dignity Not Detention Act would prohibit state and local facilities from detaining people for ICE. We know at least six local jails in New York are doing this. Many of these jails deny people access to their mandatory court hearings, lawyers and phone calls. 

That's why another bill, the Access to Representation Act, is also important. This bill would ensure New Yorkers at risk of deportation who cannot afford a lawyer will be provided with one.  

All of these bills are straightforward, immediate steps to take against ICE. 

With the ICE raid that just happened in Chinatown, it won’t be long until Trump deploys Chicago-like raids in our state as well. Hundreds of ICE agents recently deployed smoke grenades, helicopters and riot trucks to raid a residential building in Chicago that included U.S. citizens and children. ICE zip-tied naked kids together and provided no warrants for arrests.  

Trump recently noted that he believed the "left” would put up more of a fight against his extreme agenda. But instead, he feels we’ve given up. Everyday people are pushing back in the best ways they can, but they need their leaders to as well. 

Issuing words of condemnation without leveraging the power granted to us as legislators is an example of giving up. Are lawmakers and leaders in New York going to give up, or are we going to stand up for our neighbors who are under attack?