RALLY TO PROTECT IMMIGRANT FAMILIES DRAWS BIG CROWD
Families, Local leaders and Advocates Call for Sweeping
Legislation and Protections for Immigrant Families in NYS Budget
YONKERS, NY – Dozens of people; local leaders, advocates and families attended a rally and press conference calling on Albany legislators and Governor Kathy Hochul to enact sweeping legislation and funding to protect immigrants and their families in this year’s legislative budget. The legislative package includes:
- Access to Representation Act
- Building Up Immigrant Legal Defense (BUILD) Act
- New York For All
- $175 million investment in immigration legal services to be included in the 2027 Budget
Taken together, this would make New York one of the leaders to ensuring that its immigrant community has the protections it needs and access to representation to tackle the ever-changing landscape of immigrations policies coming from Washington, DC.
The event was a joint effort led by Alianza Laboral de Westchester; Neighbors Link, Community Resource Center, Catholic Charities Community Services, United Community Services, Worker Justice Center of New York. Also by Yonkers Sanctuary Movement, NYCD 16/15 Indivisible, Wespac Foundation, Northern Westchester Indivisible, Indivisible Yorktown, New York Immigration Coalition, Care for Immigrants Families and New York for All coalition.
Assemblymembers Chris Burdick, Nader Sayegh, and MaryJane Shimsky spoke at the event.
The budget is due by March 31, 2026.
State Senator Shelley Mayer
“I was proud to join neighbors and friends in my hometown, Yonkers, to stand together to protect and support immigrant families. New York must take concrete steps to ensure the safety and security of its residents. Our state, country, and democracy are strongest when we are united, without fear. Thank you to the numerous organizations and agencies responsible for today’s event and for your dedicated work supporting our immigrant neighbors.”
State Senator Pete Harckham
“The New York for All Act strengthens public safety by ensuring that all residents, regardless of status, feel safe reporting crimes and engaging with local law enforcement. By drawing a clear line between local policing and federal immigration actions, we foster the trust needed to keep every community secure. Thank you to the advocates who are championing this important legislation.”
State Assemblymember Chris Burdick
“I am the grandson of immigrants and believe in the inscription on the base of the Statue of Liberty because that’s how this country was built. We need to do everything we can to protect our immigrant friends and neighbors. Border Patrol and ICE is trampling the Constitution and people’s rights. This must stop now. It is incumbent to pass New York for All, the BUILD Act and Access to Representation Act. Along with my colleagues in the Assembly and Senate we will work very hard to get each of these pieces of legislation across the finish line.”
State Assemblymember Nader Sayegh
“This is a crucial issue that impacts our nation, our state, and right here in Yonkers. Immigrants make up this great nation. I am an immigrant and grew up in Yonkers on Buena Vista. Everyone has immigrant roots and no one should forget the rise of immigration is what makes us great. New York for All is crucial for all New Yorkers. Thank you and congratulations to all the advocates that continue to speak up for all of us.”
State Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky
“This regime is fundamentally evil and destructive. It is a moral imperative of the next few years to shut them down. We can pass New York for All. We can pass the Access to Representation Act. We can pass the BUILD Act. We have to do all of this. Let’s continue working together and make sure that the world knows we do not consent.”
Assemblymember Dana Levenberg
“Under the Trump-Vance regime, we are witnessing unconscionable violations of human and civil rights. It is imperative that we stand up and defend the constitutional rights of every single human being on American soil, or we will lose these rights. The New York for All, Access to Representation and BUILD Acts are not radical pieces of legislation – they represent the bare minimum of what is needed to defend ourselves from a federal government that does not believe in or understand the constitution they swore to uphold. I stand with everyone fighting for this legislation and will keep pushing until we get it across the finish line.”
Jackie Agudelo, United Community Center of Westchester
“New York must choose compassion over fear. Passing the Access to Representation Act, the BUILD Act, and New York for All means protecting our families, defending our neighbors, and affirming that dignity and justice belong to everyone—no matter where they were born.”
Marni Rabin-Marron, Co-Lead, Indivisible YorktownNY
We are here today because our communities deserve safety, dignity, and freedom. Our immigrant neighbors play a vital role in New York– contributing billions to the economy, shaping our neighborhoods, and enriching our culture in countless ways. However, the climate of fear pushed upon us currently is inhumane and unjust. If any one of us is not free, then not one of us is truly free. There needs to be no further delay in protecting human rights. It is time for New York State to rise from its slumber and accept the mantle of leadership in this most fundamental of issues. It is time to recognize the humanity of ALL New Yorkers by passing New York for All. Our communities belong together!”
Melanie Zamenhof, Esq., Senior Staff Attorney, Neighbors Link Community Law Practice
“In a time when immigrant New Yorkers are facing unprecedented threats to their safety, the need for state-level action has never been more critical. The New York State Legislature has the opportunity to be a national leader in defending the rights of immigrants. Fully funding immigration legal services at $175 million and passing New York for All, the Access to Representation Act and BUILD Act are critical steps in protecting the rights of immigrants so they can stay with their families, work, go to school, and remain in their communities.”
Jahaira Roldan, Manager of Organizing and Strategy, New York Immigration Coalition
“Immigrant New Yorkers are being forced to live in the shadows, because of the real threat that an everyday trip to the grocery store or to the doctor’s office could result in them being ripped from their families and put into the deportation pipeline. The New York State Legislature can take action by implementing lasting safeguards to ensure that these everyday trips no longer threaten the safety and stability of New York families. Passing the New York for All Act, the Access to Representation Act, and the BUILD Act, and investing $175 million in immigration legal services, would create permanent protections for all New Yorkers. Together, these measures would keep local resources focused on serving New Yorkers first and ensure that everyone in immigration court has a fair chance to defend themselves and maintain their rights to due process. By acting now, our leaders in Albany can send a clear message that our state will not be complicit in Trump’s cruel deportation agenda, and we will choose dignity, safety, and justice for all families.”
Lisa Flores, Chief Executive Officer, Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York
“Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York is a proud member of the Alianza Laboral Coalition which stands in support of CARE4IF which includes these important bills—NY4ALL, Access to Representation, the BUILD Act, and increased funding for critical legal services for immigrant families. At a time when many immigrant communities are facing fear and uncertainty, we stand alongside advocates in support of policies that promote dignity, stability, and opportunity. Immigrants are a vital part of New York State, and these bills help ensure they are supported and valued across the state.”
Nada Khader, WESPAC Executive Director
“WESPAC Foundation stands in unwavering solidarity with New York’s immigrant communities and calls on our state leaders to fully fund immigration legal services and pass the Access to Representation Act and BUILD Act—because due process, family unity, and human dignity are not optional, they are fundamental. At a time of unprecedented enforcement and detention, New York must lead with courage by ensuring every immigrant has the legal support needed to stay with their families, contribute to our communities, and live without fear. WESPAC Foundation also proudly supports the New York for All Act because our state must never be complicit in policies that tear families apart or turn public institutions into extensions of a federal deportation machine. True public safety means protecting the dignity, rights, and humanity of every New Yorker; ensuring our schools, hospitals, and local agencies remain places of trust, not fear.”
Immigrant Justice Committee of NYCD 16-15 Indivisible
“Governor Hochul’s proposal to end formal cooperation agreements between local law enforcement and ICE is a welcome measure and we urge its passage. But only as a first step. Given the brazenness of government-sanctioned violence and the escalation of ICE activities targeting our region, New York must act quickly and boldly to protect our neighbors and uphold the rule of law, including further measures to prohibit undue local law enforcement cooperation with ICE. Three pending bills in Albany—New York For All, the Access to Representation Act, and Building Up Legal Defense Act—aim to do just that. As the Immigrant Justice Committee of NYCD 16-15 Indivisible we call on the legislature and the governor to go the distance: Defend the rights and dignity of immigrants and all New Yorkers!”
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Link to Video > https://youtu.be/udwU0HJ1sLo
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