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 in either the State Senate or Assembly before the end of the legislative session earlier this month.
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—measures advocates say are key to protecting immigrant communities and building public trust.
“To not see a pass was very devastating for our community members who are experiencing raids,” said Luba Cortes, Immigration Lead Organizer with Make the Road New York (MTRNY). “There 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’ve seen ICE present outside of schools. This really was detrimental to our community members because we really wanted clear protections from the state.”
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. As time dwindled on the legislative calendar, she also joined MTRNY members at a Stand Up Against ICE rally 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.
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’s end. Governor Kathy Hochul has the authority to call such a session. “Time is ticking, and individuals are being persecuted by ICE,” said Cortes.
Cortes also highlighted counties across New York—such as Rensselaer, Nassau, Broome, and Niagara—that have agreements under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act Section 287(g), allowing local law enforcement officers to act as ICE agents. She said ending those agreements is critical to safeguarding immigrant communities.
“Immigrants deserve due process; they have constitutional rights,” said Cortes. “And we’re reminding individuals of that power. When we’re seeing ICE outside of schools. We want to let parents know that they have rights. They have the right to remain silent. They don’t have to consent to searches. And this is no way of violating the law. This is their constitutional right.”
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. “So that they don’t see what is happening,” she said.
Cortes cited a recent incident involving mayoral candidate and U.S. citizen Brad Lander as particularly troubling. Lander was reportedly detained by ICE agents at the city’s 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.
She believes the incident was a deliberate display of force. “If we’re seeing people like Brad, who has a lot of civility and popularity,” said Cortes. “He was a mayoral candidate, being manhandled by ICE agents. Then what happens to the people in the court, that don’t have eyes on them? We know from the videos we’ve seen that ICE has tackled people, and that’s what’s concerning to us. But there are other individuals who are not as lucky as Brad.”
Cortes also spoke about the proposed New York Trust Act, which would strengthen legal protections for individuals detained under ICE detainers. The act would allow people to sue the city if their rights are violated by police or federal agents.
“It will make agents think twice before they violate, when they know that they can be sued,” she said.
She emphasized the growing fear among immigrants in their everyday lives. “Community members are really afraid of doing their daily routines,” said Cortes. “They’re afraid to seek help. I’ve talked to the community who’ve shared, ‘I’d rather die than go to the hospital and be arrested by ICE.’ Because they’re just so terrified of being deported to other countries.”
