Immigration advocates in New York are expressing outrage and alarm over proposed plans by the incoming Donald J. Trump administration to revoke a federal policy that has restricted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from arresting Caribbean and other immigrants at or near “sensitive locations,” such as houses of worship, schools, and hospitals without prior approval from supervisors. Immigration advocates said on Wednesday that Trump is expected to repeal this policy as early as his first day in office, on Jan. 20, 2025, alongside other immigration policy changes set to be implemented.
“Cruelty, not public safety or security, is Trump’s objective,” Murad Awawdeh, president and chief executive officer of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella policy and advocacy organization that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout New York, told Caribbean Life.
“By directing attacks on immigrants to sensitive locations like schools, churches, and hospitals, he shows a callous disregard for vulnerable children and the public safety of every New Yorker,” added Awawdeh, leader of one of the largest and most diverse newcomer populations in the United States.
Moreover, he said this policy change will have a “chilling impact on immigrant families, who may fear sending their children to school or accessing the services they are entitled to and need to keep their families healthy.
“Targeting immigrants for arrests and deportation is destructive and diverts resources away from initiatives that actually promote safety and well-being,” Awawdeh said. “New York must meet this moment by refusing to participate in ICE’s cruel, politicized immigration agenda.
“It’s more urgent than ever for New York to pass the New York For All Act to ensure that all residents can live without fear,” he added. “We urge Governor (Kathy) Hochul and our state elected leaders to take action to protect immigrant families and defend the values that make New York a beacon of hope and opportunity.”
Awawdeh said the New York for All Act would prohibit state and local officers from enforcing federal immigration laws, funneling people into ICE custody, and sharing sensitive information with federal immigration authorities.
He said the Act would also ensure that Caribbean and other immigrants in custody are informed of their rights before ICE interviews.
Additionally, Awawdeh said the Act would prohibit ICE and the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agency from entering non-public areas of state and local property without a judicial warrant and begin limiting their access to state information databases.
Natalia Aristizabal, deputy director of Make the Road New York, another immigrant advocacy group with over 28,000 members, also told Caribbean Life that the details emerging on Wednesday from the incoming Trump administration are “horrifying but, sadly, not at all surprising.”
“We know that Trump and his allies intend to carry out devastating policies that will irreparably harm our communities, separate families, and traumatize people just trying to go about their lives,“ she said.
“That’s why it’s more important than ever for our local and state officials to step up and take real, concrete actions to protect our community, such as passing the New York for All Act, which will further strengthen the protections of immigrant New Yorkers when it comes to immigration enforcement,“ she added.
“Everyone should be able to go to church and school without fearing that they will never see their loved ones again,“ continued Aristizabal, noting that Governor Hochul has said that she intends to unveil policies in the next few weeks that protect families in New York State.
“We will hold her accountable to delivering for New York’s immigrant communities,“ Aristizabal said. “And, instead of cozying up to the Trump administration and meeting with incoming Border Czar Tom Homan, Mayor (Eric) Adams needs to uphold New York City’s existing laws that defend immigrants and create additional protections.”
During a press conference earlier this month, Adams, who is battling bribery and fraud charges in a federal corruption investigation under the Biden administration, said he is willing to collaborate with Trump officials on deportation policy.
“Those who are here committing crimes, robberies, shooting at police officers, raping innocent people, have been a harm to our country,“ Adams said. “I would love to sit down with the Border Czar [Tom Homan] and hear his thoughts on how we’re going to address those who are harming our citizens.”
Immigration advocates say many of the migrants crossing the southern border of the United States and arriving in New York are nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.
Trump had campaigned on conducting mass deportation of immigrants, including Haitians if re-elected to a second term.
During the Presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly falsely claimed that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating the pets, including dogs and cats, of their neighbors.
Data from ICE, for the period Oct. 1, 2017, through Oct. 31, 2020, reveals that ICE conducted 63 planned and five exigent arrests at or near a sensitive location during Trump’s first term in office.
Lee Gelernt, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said, “immigration enforcement has always required a balance.“
He said that, in the past, presidents of both the Democratic and Republican parties “have recognized that merely because it may be lawful to make arrests at hospitals and schools doesn’t mean it’s humane or wise public policy.
“We don’t want people with contagious diseases too scared to go to the hospital or children going uneducated because of poorly considered deportation policies,“ Gelernt said.
Aristizabal said: “We all deserve to live in safety with our families. New York’s leaders need to work to make this a reality.”
