Opinion: New York Democrats must stand up for our immigrant neighbors

Donald Trump has begun to unleash a systematic campaign of terror against the immigrant families who have built and defined America's character for centuries. In New York state, we have both the responsibility and capability to fight back and protect our communities. Yet the Democratic party and leadership are failing to step up.

Instead of presenting a robust agenda to protect our neighbors, coworkers and classmates, we’re hearing our elected leaders in Albany declare their willingness to separate families, devastate our communities and gut our local economy – even going as far to say, “I'll be the first to call up ICE.” Rather than strengthening protections, they're in a “wait and see approach.”

In New York City – the city of immigrants – Mayor Eric Adams has consistently dodged every question about how the city would protect its own sanctuary policies. He is directing city agency staff to let ICE into shelters, schools and hospitals if they “feel threatened.” Adams even said that he directed the NYPD to coordinate with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for her pre-dawn made-for-TV interagency enforcement operation, and at least 100 immigrants were ripped from their families in the week that followed.

And in Washington, one third of New York Democrats in the House of Representatives, including Reps. Tom Suozzi, Ritchie Torres and Josh Riley, voted to pass H.R. 29 – an extremist bill that takes away due process. Its passage came on the heels of Suozzi’s plea to Democrats collaborate with Trump. 

They all seem to be operating under the misguided assumption that Trump's election granted him a mandate on immigration and mass deportations. This fundamental miscalculation stems from Democrats’ ongoing failure to offer a compelling alternative vision at every level of government. 

We are now facing the troubling prospect of a new American order built on fear, intimidation and xenophobia. There was no electoral mandate to fundamentally erase the constitutional rights of our vulnerable residents. The truer mandate is to fight back against the tides of un-American racism and xenophobic rhetoric that are settling into our halls of government and are increasingly prevalent on toxic social media platforms. 

This last election season, Republicans ran nearly 240,000 anti-immigrant TV ads nationally, arguing that America needs to close its border to a scary and violent invasion. Meanwhile, Democrats ran 30,000 of their own anti-immigration ads. Instead of highlighting the truth about why people immigrate, or what they contribute once they do, the Democratic ads argued for how they will be better at stopping migration. From both parties, we saw two sides of the same anti-immigrant coin. 

But the data tells a different story. While a Scripps News/Isop poll showed 52% of Americans initially said they supported mass deportations, that support plummeted to 38% when voters understood the human cost – particularly family separation. Democrats failed to educate, much less convince, the electorate about deportation's devastating real-world impact on families, communities and economies.

When Trump allies promote divisive rhetoric and officials like “border czar” Tom Homan defend their ability to raid schools and churches, New York Democrats need to respond rapidly against it. When White House senior adviser Stephen Miller openly advocates for policies designed to make communities fearful, Democratic leadership must offer more than silence or acquiescence. When Elon Musk proudly sieg heils at Trump’s inauguration, Democrats need to loudly say that his behavior is repugnant and indefensible.

Let us be clear: Trump is promoting an America where he and his allies arbitrarily decide who qualifies as American. He advocates for policies that will tear families apart and return people to the dangerous situations they fled. This deportation agenda fundamentally contradicts American values and New York's immigrant heritage. And as long as Democrats choose to either ignore the consequences of Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda, echo his administration’s talking points or participate in his agency’s raids, New Yorkers will be stuck in a vicious downward spiral.

New York Democrats can begin countering this agenda by taking concrete action. Two essential pieces of legislation await passage: the New York For All Act would stop state agencies and local law enforcement from colluding with ICE on deportations, preventing officials like Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman from deputizing local police as ICE agents. And the Access to Representation Act would ensure that all immigrants facing deportation proceedings have legal representation, so we can protect the fundamental right to due process in our justice system.

The path forward is clear. The question is whether our leaders have the bravery to take it alongside our communities. Our elected officials must start leading with the same energy that state Attorney General Letitia James is bringing to this fight, as her office offers a vital defense against Trump’s shameless disregard for the constitutional right of birthright citizenship. And like New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who has led our city through the last three years with fierce tenacity fighting for all New Yorkers in the face of austerity and divisiveness from the mayor. New York Democrats must explicitly reject the politics of fear and division, declaring unequivocally that immigrants are welcome in our state. They must protect our immigrant neighbors, prevent the devastation of our economy and fight back against policies that threaten to destroy countless families.

Democrats pride themselves on having been the party that championed America's promise. While they may have faltered nationally this election cycle, New York can lead the way forward. It is time to do better. It's time to build a New York that fulfills its promise to protect immigrants, celebrates all residents and stands firmly against hateful, divisive policy. The economic vitality, moral character and very soul of our state hang in the balance.