ICE agents have operated in New York with impunity for months now, and the best response many of our elected officials seem to offer is talk about what they want to do, rather than what they are doing, to protect New Yorkers.
Take, for instance, US Reps. Dan Goldman, Nydia Velázquez and Adriano Espaillat, who on Monday announced their introduction of a bill to prevent ICE agents from arresting immigrants in federal court.
The three Congress members have been vocal in their opposition to masked ICE agents manhandling and arresting law-abiding immigrants appearing at court-ordered hearings at 26 Federal Plaza; they have also been repeatedly turned away by federal agents when they sought to inspect areas where immigrants were being detained.
And while their activism is appreciated, the bill itself misses the mark because it currently has zero chance of becoming federal law. President Trump will never sign it; the House and Senate are controlled by Trump’s Republican Party.
Goldman told amNewYork that he’s cognizant of the political realities in Washington, but that the bill offers Republicans an opportunity “to do something” before next year’s election. The problem is that House and Senate Republicans have made clear they are not going “to do something” that opposes the president’s immigration policies, regardless of the repercussions.
Meanwhile, in contrast to advocating a bill that will never pass the current Congress, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law state legislation Tuesday aimed at protecting immigrants in the state from “unjust” federal immigration enforcement actions.
The legislation bans arrests at courthouses, requires public schools, hospitals and other entities to protect the immigration status information of those in their care, and permits civil lawsuits against any law enforcement officers who violate state and/or U.S. constitutional rights.
New York’s sanctuary city laws already protect immigration status information, but the rest of the new Illinois legislation signed by Pritzker Tuesday ought to provide a road map for New York state and city to push back against ICE. The legislation offers real, concrete measures that can easily pass the state Legislature and be signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Along with expanding the liability of federal ICE agents in New York for their own reckless behavior, Hochul must also support a targeted renewal of the expired mask ban to prevent not just criminals and protesters from wearing them in public, but also law enforcement agents. There is simply no justification for any officer to hide their identities when they are sworn to uphold the law.
New York state and city cannot override federal actions, but it can help put protections in place to hold federal agents accountable for aggressive acts, and safeguard law-abiding immigrants. Forget Congressional bills that are political nonstarters; it’s time for the state legislature and Hochul to follow Illinois’ lead and take real action now.
