Liberty Act: Making New York a Sanctuary State

Op-Ed By Tereza Lee

When I met with New York State Legislator Marisol Alcantara (IDC) in February — just ten days after the State Assembly passed the Liberty Act, a statewide bill that would protect undocumented immigrant communities — she said the bill was “dead in the water.” I couldn’t accept that without a fight. So, Alcantara gave me some names, I did my research, and worked to build a coalition to fight for the bill’s passage. Four months later, thanks to a series of concentrated, collaborative efforts at the grassroots level, Alcantara had a different prognosis, telling me it’s alive and well. New Yorkers on the front lines of this fight have breathed new life into what too many thought was a dying bill. Now, we’re calling on New Yorkers of all creeds to help us make the final push to pass this crucial legislation.

If passed, the Liberty Act {S4075} would protect undocumented immigrants vulnerable under Trump’s draconian, anti-immigrant agenda by limiting cooperation between local and federal agents. It would ensure that people are not stopped, questioned, or arrested simply because of the way they look or speak. Passing the Liberty Act would protect almost a million undocumented New Yorkers from the constant threat of persecution. Ultimately, this would translate into a safer state for all New Yorkers.

The reality is: when local law enforcement is forced to take on the additional responsibility of acting as immigration officials, they are stretched thin in providing the most basic level of protections. When 4.5 million New Yorkers have reason to believe that reporting a crime to law enforcement will result in their deportation, crimes go unchecked and unreported. Our streets will be far less safe and our law enforcement officers will be unable to uphold their public duty.

That’s why — alongside members and volunteers of the Immigrant Rights committee of Uptown Progressive Action, a chapter of New York Progressive Action Network, and with the help of Our Revolution, Make the Road NY and a handful of local grassroots organizations all across New York state — we’ve been working to engage New Yorkers in a variety of efforts to contact influential state lawmakers as they prepare to vote on this crucial bill. We’ve done everything from running petition campaigns throughout the state to writing postcards to our New York legislators. And it’s working.

We’ve seen an enthusiastic response and willingness to help do whatever New York legislators can to get the Liberty Act passed in this session. They’ve seen how we’re working to ensure that law-abiding immigrants’ rights are protected in the communities they work so hard to contribute to. To ensure that children won’t be separated from their parents, students can go to school without the threat of being arrested, and seniors can go to the hospital when they’re sick, instead of a jail cell.

We’re just one vote shy of the Liberty Act’s passage through the Senate and we’re closer than ever to making New York’s laws match up with our appreciation for diversity. We didn’t get here by accepting defeat — and we won’t accept defeat now. Growing up undocumented for me meant exactly that — that even though opportunities were limited because of being paperless, I could still reach for the stars and never accept defeat.

To every New Yorker who believes that immigrant communities deserve to live free from fear of deportation; who works three jobs to support a family and dreams of a better life; who wants the relationship between their community and law enforcement to be collaborative, not confrontational; who knows what it means to feel safe in your own skin and wants that for everyone: there is hope. There is something you can do. Call your district’s senator and ask them to support the Liberty Act.

At the end of the day, a person is a person regardless of immigration status. If you mess with one New Yorker, you mess with all of us. It’s up to us to have each other’s backs.

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Tereza Lee is a formerly undocumented student and immigrant rights activist, currently residing in NYC.