Advocacy Groups Call For Immigrant Protections Ahead of President-Elect Trump’s Second Term
NEW YORK, New York – Caribbean nationals in New York have been joining immigrant advocacy groups and community members in calling for protections ahead of United States President-elect Donald Trump’s second term.
Rita JosephThe immigrant advocacy group Make the Road New York, alongside partner organizations, and City Council Member Rita Joseph have honored immigrants’ fundamental contributions to the cultural vibrancy, diversity and economy of New York City.
As part of a National Day of Action, their call came after New York CITY Mayor Eric Adams’ meeting with Border Czar Tom Homan, who has threatened to deport entire mixed-status families, as part of Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
Joseph, the Haitian-born representative for the 40th Council District in Brooklyn, told a rally on the steps of City Hall in lower Manhattan that “New York City identity is rooted in stories in the successes of immigrants.
“Deportation threaten to rip apart families and destabilize neighborhoods that the city has worked so hard to build,” she warned.
“As we approach the holiday season, immigrants are speaking up and calling on Mayor Adams to stop cozying up to the Trump administration and instead focus on delivering concrete protections for immigrant communities,” said Make the Road New York as it announced the launch of its new website.
The website provides up-to-date information and Know Your Rights resources, including a Deportation Defense Manual, and more.
“As Trump’s inauguration day fast approaches, immigrant communities and allies need to have updated information and easily accessible resources,” Make the Road New York added.
Geidy Polanco, Staten Island, New York resident and member of Make the Road New York, said, “As a hard-working mother and a long-time New York City resident, it pains me to hear Mayor Adams’ willingness to work with Border Czar Homan and wanting our city to collaborate with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
“This brings real fear to not only my family but to all immigrant New Yorkers like me who call this city our home,” Polonco said. “Now, as we approach the holidays, instead of trying to fully enjoy them, I once again need to have conversations with my children to try to calm them down their fears and make a plan. I urge Mayor Adams to refocus and stop cozying up to an administration that will only bring harm to New York City, he must support and protect immigrants who work, day in and day out, to provide for our loved ones and this city.”
Immigrant New Yorkers and allies—with Make the Road New York, Immigrant Defense Project, WSLS Immigrant Rights Clinic, Las Doñas Academy with Popular Democracy, La Victoria Foundation, and UnLocal— shared the urgency for Mayor Adams and City Council to uphold the current laws limiting when the NYPD and Department of Corrections (DOC) will honor an ICE detainer and whose information they could share with ICE, in addition to passing legislation such as Intro 214.
They said this bill would make sure that the Department of Corrections and NYPD face consequences when they ignore local laws that limit their cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
“This is essential for preventing family separation of immigrant New Yorkers,” Make the Road New York said.
Tony Alarcon, senior organizer with Popular Democracy, said: “Immigrants contribute to the economy, enrich cultural diversity and strengthen the social fabric of our communities.
“Policies that foster trust and cooperation between local governments and immigrant populations create safer, more cohesive neighborhoods,” he added. “Unfortunately, some elected leaders promote fear and division by supporting policies or rhetoric that criminalize immigrants and threaten deportation. This creates a chilling effect, discouraging immigrants from engaging with vital services, reporting crimes, or fully participating in their communities.
“Such fear-driven approaches weaken the trust between immigrants and local governments, making neighborhoods less safe and communities more fragmented,” Alarcon continued. “Supporting immigrants is not just a moral imperative; it’s a cornerstone of building stronger, united communities.”
Yasmine Farhang, director of advocacy at the Immigrant Defense Project, said: “Today, we are calling to protect all immigrant New Yorkers – especially those who often face the double punishment of the criminal and then the immigration legal system.
“This is a moment of urgency – where we absolutely need proactive action from our local and state elected officials to stand up and be clear that they will not just speak in support of immigrants – but turn that into action, passing critical legislation at the city and state level to defend immigrant New Yorkers and all New Yorkers against the threats of this administration,” she added.
Katherine Gomez, executive director at the La Victoria Foundation, said, “New York City was built by immigrants and thrives because of them. Any attack on our immigrant communities is an attack on the very soul of NYC.
“It’s time to rise up, stand united, and demand justice for our immigrant communities—NYC will not tolerate injustice,” she added. “Say no to mass deportations, say no to ICE collusions, say no to family unity separation. NYC says no to any administration depriving our immigrants of their rights!”
“New York City must act urgently to protect the rights of all its residents, regardless of immigration status. Now is the time to unite around our values and protect all New York families from lawless raids and separations,” said Alina Das, co-director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic of Washington Square Legal Services.
In recognition of International Migrants Day, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella organization of over 200 immigrant groups in New York, joined the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) network in urging President Joe Biden and Congress to act decisively during this lame-duck session to protect and defend immigrants from across the country, regardless of immigration status, from Trump’s deportation agenda.
NYIC said about 5.5 million US citizen children (including 254,00 New York children) live with at least one undocumented family member.
“Separating family members would lead to tremendous emotional stress and could also cause economic hardship for many of these mixed-status families who might lose their breadwinners, not to mention the dire consequences for the US economy,” NYIC’s President and CEO Murad Awawdeh told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
“This is the time for our elected leadership to take decisive action by voting against reconciliation bills or proposals that will hurt our economy and expand or fund immigration enforcement and detention,” Awawdeh continued. “Instead, we demand the Biden administration protect immigrant families, regardless of their immigration status, including those with TPS (Temporary Protected Status) and DACA (Deferred Action for Early Childhood Arrivals), to ensure they can remain with their families and continue contributing to their communities without the threat of ICE around every corner.
“Separating children from their parents hurts families, and does nothing to benefit our communities, public safety or economy—spiking inflation, driving up deficits, cutting tax revenues, and shrinking GDP (gross domestic product) and employment alike,” he said.
Awawdeh pointed to a recent American Immigration Council report on the costs of mass deportation that finds GDP will drop by 4.2-6.8 percent, which is more than the Great Recession.
He said deporting one million immigrants per year would incur an annual cost of $88 billion, with the majority of that cost going towards building detention camps.
“It would take over ten years, and the building of hundreds to thousands of new detention facilities, to arrest, detain, process and remove all 13.3 million targeted immigrants—even assuming that 20 percent of that population would depart voluntarily during any multi-year mass deportation effort,” Awawdeh said.
