Dear Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Carl Heastie
CC: Codes Committee Chairs Senator Myrie and Assemblymember Dinowitz,
As Jewish New Yorkers, we urge you to pass the New York for All Act (S2235/A3506), which will prevent New York State agencies from sharing New Yorkers’ immigration status or colluding with ICE. Passage of the New York for All Act will enable immigrant New Yorkers to live with less fear of deportation and harassment. It will protect our local and state resources from being used to aid in planned mass deportations, further disentangling local law enforcement from immigration enforcement. We understand that there is precedent for much of what is in the bill, and see this a logical, clear next step to build on existing statute.
As Jewish New Yorkers, this issue is a moral, religious, and often personal imperative for us; many of us are descendants of refugees who came to this country and sought safety on our shores. We are committed to protecting those experiencing what our families did in generations past, and to ensuring that their rights are not violated as they seek to build a life in New York. The Torah commands us to welcome and love the stranger no less than 36 times. In synagogues across the state, New Yorkers uphold this core Jewish value, and we urge the state to join us.
Please pass the New York for All Act this session. There is no time to waste.
Sincerely,