‘Don’t Go Out, I’m Scared’: Local Immigrant Anxiety Grows After Bill Fails to Advance

Names of some people in this story have been changed to protect their safety.

By Miriam Gold

Kelly Cruz (a pseudonym), a Mexican immigrant who has lived in Yonkers for more than two decades, worries constantly about being deported—and so does her 16‑year‑old son. Whenever she leaves the house, his anxiety spikes, and he begs her not to go.

Cruz began her life in the U.S. working as a waitress and later added a second job in a school cafeteria after receiving her work papers. Today she’s raising that 16‑year‑old and a 12‑year‑old daughter.

“Don’t go out,” she said her son often tells her. “I’m scared, I’m scared.”

For Cruz and many in Westchester, a proposed Albany bill had offered a glimmer of hope: it would limit cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities. But by the end of the legislative session last Thursday, June 12, the measure never made it out of committee.

Lawmakers first introduced what’s called the “New York for All” legislation in 2019–20, led by Senator Julia Salazar of the 18th District, in an effort to rebuild trust between police and immigrant communities.

Many immigrants fear that reporting a crime could lead to officers notifying ICE of their status—and possible deportation. As a result, they’re reluctant to speak with law enforcement at all, which can undermine public safety and put entire communities at risk, stressed Karin Anderson Ponzer, director of legal services at the local Neighbors Link Community Law Practice.

New York for All was introduced by Salazar in response to community concerns about public safety, Anderson Ponzer said.

“Law enforcement is big and scary” to immigrants and they “don’t want to trigger ICE,” Anderson Ponzer said. This can lead to “real consequences for public safety for everyone.” 

“New York For All is based on the need to build trust between local law enforcement and immigrant communities,”Anderson Ponzer continued. If New York State residents think that law enforcement will contact ICE, they will be afraid to talk to anybody, she also noted.

Local Rally

Earlier this month, on June 2, about 60 to 70 people gathered in Yonkers at Van der Donck Park in support of the New York for All Act, urging lawmakers to bring the bill to a floor vote before the session ended on June 12. The vote never came.

The proposed law aims to minimize “the use of state and local resources for immigration enforcement purposes,” according to a sponsor memo of the bill from Senator Andrew Gounardes.

Without the bill becoming law, there will be a “heightened level of fear and confusion. People are terrified of every interaction” with law enforcement, Anderson Ponzer said. The bill remains in the Codes Committees of both the Assembly and Senate and has not yet advanced to a vote on the floor, according to the New York State Senate website.

The bill could potentially advance from committee next January when the new session commences. The dates for the next legislative session have not yet been announced, but the Legislature typically convenes in early January and adjourns in June.

Supporters of the bill say the recent immigrant rights demonstrations in Los Angeles underscore the urgency of passing protections in New York.

Opponents of the bill, for their part, argue it would hinder law enforcement cooperation and jeopardize public safety. 

“Law enforcement has an obligation to work with all governmental entities to enforce our laws,” a representative for Republican Senator Patrick M. Gallivan of District 60 wrote in an email. “In the past, we have rightfully criticized federal, state and local agencies for working in silos and failing to cooperate with each other to the detriment of public safety. This legislation would exacerbate that potential.”

Anderson Ponzer counters that this argument misrepresents the legislation’s intent, emphasizing that the distinction between civil and criminal matters is key.

She argued that “a lot of immigration law is federal civil law.” Anderson Ponzer also said that state and local resources should not be used to enforce civil immigration law. She noted that state and local resources aren’t used to enforce other federal civil laws, such as social security. 

‘I Feel the Pressure’

The Yonkers protest was part of a series of demonstrations the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) had organized to raise awareness of the bill; additional protests have taken place in Manhattan, Buffalo, and Albany. 

The NYIC demonstration featured 11 speakers, including community members, charity organizers, and religious leaders. Protestors stood behind them on a raised platform holding signs in support. 

Daniel Morales (a pseudonym), a co-organizer and representative of the Community Resource Center—a Westchester-based immigrant and low-income advocacy group—explained that his family is from Guatemala. Undocumented himself, Daniel is able to remain in the United States through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as DACA. He grew up in a Westchester town and attended local high school. After graduating, he earned a history degree from The New School in 2018.

Over the past few months, several of his cousins have been deported to Guatemala.

“I actually really love it here,” explained Morales, also stressing how he’s “been doing everything right for the past 24 years that I’ve been in this country. Under the Trump Administration it’s been really difficult.”

In his community, “everybody knows somebody who has been deported,” he said. He added that DACA recipients in Texas are being deported despite legal protections. 

Reflecting on his own situation, he added: “I feel the pressure.”

The day before the protest, a half dozen immigrants living in Port Chester were deported, he also pointed out.

Jorge, another organizer with NYIC who only provided his first name, is Venezuelan American. He has citizenship but said he’s concerned about ICE detaining U.S. citizens during raids. While he doesn’t feel the same immediate fear as some of his colleagues, he shares their general concerns.

“I am a citizen,” he said, “but that becomes increasingly immaterial.”