Press Contact: media@hispanicfederation.org
More than 30 directly impacted individuals, business owners, community leaders, and legal experts testified on the harm that federal immigration operations have caused across the region
New York, NY – Today, Hispanic Federation convened community advocates, civil rights leaders, and public officials, including New York State Attorney General Letitia James and New York City First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan, for the People’s Hearing on Immigration Enforcement in New York. More than 30 New Yorkers testified about how federal immigration enforcement has upended their families, businesses, and communities.
New York was the seventh hearing that has been held, with previous hearings taking place in Saint Paul, MN, Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA, San Antonio, Dallas, TX, and Charlotte, NC, with nearly 200 individuals testifying to date about the devastating impact of immigration enforcement.
The forum was convened by national civil rights organizations and leaders, including Hispanic Federation, Rochelle Garza, Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Luis A. Miranda, Jr. of the Miranda Family Fund, Texas Civil Rights Project, and Latino Victory Foundation, along with a dynamic coalition of leading immigrant rights groups, including the Arab American Association of New York, Asian American Federation, Central American Refugee Center (CARECEN NY), Community Resource Center (CRCNY), Haitian Bridge Alliance, Immigration Equality, Make the Road NY, MinKwon Center, National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), New Immigrant Community Engagement (NICE), New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), and the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC).
“Every person who testified today carried more than their own story, they carried their communities’ hopes, fears, and aspirations. We heard from mothers who are afraid to walk their kids to school, spouses who miss their loved ones, essential workers who are scared about going to work, and families who have given everything to this country being made to feel like strangers. These voices are being enshrined here so that we can carry them forward in our fight to push for the dignity, justice, and protection every member of our community deserves,” said Frankie Miranda, President and CEO, Hispanic Federation.
The hearing comes as data obtained by the Deportation Data Project reveals that nearly 40,000 individuals have been arrested by ICE in our New York/New Jersey region, and as federal agents continue operating across New York while the administration ignores calls for accountability and guardrails, choosing practices that sow fear and endanger lives.
“The federal government’s immigration policies have created tremendous fear and uncertainty in communities across New York,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James. “I am proud to work closely with the Hispanic Federation and other partners to keep New Yorker’s safe and enforce our state’s laws. I want to thank the many organizations that gathered for this hearing for their leadership, their advocacy, and their courage.”
“As the midterm election is on the horizon, our country must see immigration enforcement for what it is — a direct undermining of our democracy at the expense of human suffering. The People’s Hearings on Immigration Enforcement have revealed the extent of ICE’s harm. It’s clear that our communities, including here in New York, will not truly heal until we have accountability. As an independent and bipartisan federal agency, I urge the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to adopt my proposal and investigate the civil rights implications of immigration enforcement,” said Rochelle Garza, Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
“These hearings have not been a partisan effort, rather they are an effort to protect the civil rights of communities throughout the nation. It’s not about Republicans or Democrats, but about threats to our republic and our democracy. The attack on the rights of any person in the U.S. is an attack on the rights of all Americans. These People’s Hearings have uncovered a brutal and consistent conduct by our federal government for which there must be accountability,” said Marty Castro, Former Chair, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
“Despite the guardrails that the NYC governor, the mayor, and the AG have put into place to support immigrants with and without papers, ICE operates likes its own monster, following no rules and unlimited funding. And what we are hearing today are the horror stories that are, and have been, happening in New York. They must stop,” said Luis A. Miranda, Jr. of the Miranda Family Fund. “The stories shared today will be added to the firsthand accounts that have been gathered throughout the country to tell the world beyond this presidency what has been happening in this country. Documenting these stories is the first step towards accountability.”
“The People’s Immigration hearing provided a space for the New York public to hear the testimony of the communities impacted by ICE’s extreme immigration enforcement policies, and it also created a written record,” said Katharine Pichardo, Latino Victory Foundation President & CEO. “New York’s immigrant communities have faced unimaginable horrors at the hands of ICE, including civil rights violations. Many were arrested during scheduled immigration visits, trying to abide by the law, while others faced deplorable conditions in detention centers. This hearing will ensure their stories are heard, recorded, and used to hold DHS accountable and foster transparency. We are thankful for the partners and allies who are standing up for our communities as they face injustice. We are grateful to the witnesses for their testimonies—their bravery will help hold our government accountable and protect our civil liberties and our democracy.”
“All New Yorkers, including immigrant New Yorkers, deserve to live in safety. Over the last two years, Donald Trump’s ICE has inflicted terror on our communities across the country and here in New York, all while skirting any semblance of accountability. Especially while this terror is happening in darkness, it is essential that the voices of the people impacted by and witnessing ICE’s brutality be heard. The People’s Hearing is providing a forum to set the record straight, and ultimately to achieve justice for immigrants in New York and across the country. We call on Congress to step up and act on the findings – to right some of the wrongs of the past two years, Congress must reign in and abolish ICE and create real pathways to citizenship. Thank you to the Hispanic Federation, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and everyone who shared their story,” said Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition.
“The NYCLU is proud to join the People’s Hearing, to stand in solidarity with immigrant New Yorkers, and to support the brave individuals who have come forward to share their stories. Today’s hearing adds to the historical record, allows immigrant voices to be heard, and helps our country reckon with and one day reverse Trump’s war on immigrants. The Trump regime cannot stand that New York is shaped by lifetimes of immigrant love, ingenuity, and creativity, or that we fight back. Alongside our partners and communities, the NYCLU will continue to defend the rights and dignity of immigrant New Yorkers,” said Donna Lieberman, Executive Director, New York Civil Liberties Union.
“Immigrants with Temporary Protective Status are part of our community; in many cases they have been here for decades. They are our neighbors, nurses, teachers, and they sit beside us in church. For the Trump administration to rip away their status and send people back to often violent and unstable situations is not only inhumane, it tears at the fabric of our neighborhoods. The answer is citizenship for all. We cannot allow people’s lives to be placed in permanent limbo, subject to the destructive whims of a xenophobic leader. It is the only way to ensure that we all have the freedom to stay in this country we call home,” said Natalia Aristizábal, Co-Executive Director, Make the Road New York.
“Today, we come together to celebrate immigrant communities, and to stand against ICE abuse,” said Aaron C. Morris, Executive Director of Immigration Equality. “The Trump administration is deporting LGBTQ people to places where it is a crime to be queer. There can be no more obvious definition of a human rights violation. The American people cannot tolerate this injustice.”
“Today we are coming together to lay the groundwork for future accountability for the massive human and civil rights crimes that ICE and DHS are committing daily across the NY region. But this also allows us to demand accountability today, from those elected officials who have failed to step up to protect immigrant workers, their families and communities, and have not prevented local law enforcement from being used as tools for ICE’s dirty work. From Delaney Hall to the streets of Hempstead, we demand ICE OUT now – an end to ICE racial profiling, violence, and the local collusion that facilitates it,” said Nadia Marin-Molina, Co-Executive Director, National Day Laborer Organizing Network.
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About the People’s Hearing on Immigration Enforcement
New York was the seventh hearing that has been held, with previous hearings taking place in Saint Paul, MN, Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA, San Antonio, Dallas, TX, and Charlotte, NC, with 166 individuals testifying about the devastating impact of immigration enforcement actions on families, children, workers, schools, small-businesses, faith communities, local governments, public institutions, and U.S. citizens. A report was developed to recap the key findings from the hearing in Minnesota with the Chicago hearing report forthcoming.
About Hispanic Federation
Hispanic Federation (HF) is a nonprofit membership and advocacy organization, founded in 1990, committed to empowering and advancing the Hispanic community, with a focus on low-income, marginalized, and immigrant Latine. With programs in 43 states and territories, HF’s focus areas include immigration, economic empowerment, civic engagement, disaster relief, philanthropy, education, health, and the environment. HF also maintains ongoing public education campaigns and meets the organizational development needs of its member agencies through grant-making and capacity-building assistance.
