Council to hold immigration oversight hearing ahead of Trump inauguration

Days before Donald Trump is set to take office, the New York City Council is meeting to discuss how the city can protect immigrants as the incoming president returns to the White house vowing to enact an unprecedented deportation campaign. 

“Right now we have strong protections … and strong values as a city. We want no part in taking part in Trump's extremist, xenophobic agenda and we want to use no resources to aid and abet that,” Council Member Alexa Avilés said. As chair of the council’s Committee on Immigration, she’ll be leading Thursday’s 10 a.m. hearing, which will serve as a space to hear from advocates and immigrant New Yorkers about their experiences on the ground, clarify the city’s longstanding legal protections for immigrants and seek information from the Adams administration about how city agencies plan to respond to Trump’s deportation campaign.  

Representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and the Office of Asylum Seeker Operations are expected to testify about their efforts.

Throughout his campaign and after he was reelected in November, Trump has promised to “carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.” While he hasn’t detailed who he’d specifically target in the wide range of “undocumented” immigrants, he’s said he intends to remove millions of people from the country during his second administration. 

The impacts could be sweeping. New York City was home to roughly 412,000 “undocumented” immigrants in 2022. Many of these individuals live in mixed-status families, fill critical jobs throughout the state, contribute to the economy, pay taxes and have been in the U.S. for years. 

While advocates have urged Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams to enact policies that will protect immigrants ahead of Trump taking office, neither have offered a concrete plan to do so. Further stirring concerns, both have separately indicated that they are open to increasing cooperation with federal immigration authorities. 

Two resolutions urging state lawmakers to pass legislation aimed at protecting immigrants are also on the docket for the hearing: One calls for the Legislature to pass the New York for All Act, which would bar state and local government agencies from working with ICE. The other, the Access to Representation Act, would guarantee a right to counsel for immigrants in the state. 

The passage of these measures would bring the state’s policies more in line with New York City’s laws protecting undocumented immigrants. The city currently has some of the strongest sanctuary laws in the country limiting cooperation between local authorities and ICE, but Trump’s threats of mass deportations – and Adams own comments that some of the laws should be changed – have spurred fears. 

Mayor’s Office of Immigration Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro, who is scheduled to testify Thursday, said the city has taken “significant steps” over the last two months to prepare for the incoming administration. That includes sending written guidance to city agency heads and agency lawyers about the city’s sanctuary laws, regularly distributing information to immigrant communities about any relevant changes in federal policy, updating materials like the Know Your Rights booklet for mass dissemination, training general counsels to understand the city’s sanctuary laws, and more.  

Combatting misinformation has been one of the biggest challenges, according to Castro. That work is ongoing. 

“Fear and panic that our communities are experiencing could have unintended consequences, which can be serious,” Castro said, pointing to the possibility of immigrant families stopping sending their children to school or refusing to get medical treatment or pick up medication because they were subject to misinformation.

Avilés said getting information about the mayor’s plans has been a bit of a mixed bag. She said the City Council has pressed for deeper collaboration with the Adams administration in the lead up to Trump taking office, but have at times been met with resistance. Still, the efforts to collaborate continue – and Thursday’s hearing is intended to be part of that. 

“We know we must move together to protect New Yorkers,” Avilés said. “At the same time, we will continue to hold them accountable and 100% reject any rhetoric that talks about rolling back any of our laws that have been honestly, thoughtfully negotiated and built over decades.”

Make the Road NY, New York Immigration Coalition, Immigrant Defense Project and other advocacy organizations are slated to join Avilés and other council members for a 9 a.m. rally at City Hall.