FULL PRESSER: Gov Kathy Hochul Announces New Laws to Counter “ICE Overreach” in New York City | AC1N

Added: 2026-05-30

[00:00:00]You got it.

[00:00:01]Take a water, go get a cookie or something. I'll I'll take care of you. I know how to take care of young people.

[00:00:05]Well, thank you for joining me. This is an important day for our state.

[00:00:11]In a few moments, I'll be signing a bill that we've worked on intensely, that I proposed back in January, to show the nation and the rest of New Yorkers, and certainly Washington, who we are, our values, and how we stand up for people in our state.

[00:00:27]And I'm really proud of this day. It was a long long negotiation with the legislature, a lot of opinions on this, but I knew at the end of the day that we had to show communities that we are here to protect them.

[00:00:41]And I think back to the climate in January, when there was such attention from everyone around the world, really, what was happening in Minneapolis with the protests there and the the murder of Alex Pretty and Renee Good, and just a few months ago in my hometown of Buffalo, uh Mr. Shaloum left to freeze to death in the cold.

[00:01:02]And I knew his story, and I grieved with his widow and his sons, and uh it just broke my heart.

[00:01:07]And my concern is that, you know, our the attention span of this country moves on quickly. But there's still people being affected and institutions being affected and houses of worship being affected and schools being affected and people afraid to go shopping and uh so that little neighborhood bodegas are being affected. And so, all of you represent an important voice for me to hear today, but also just you hear from me what we're intending to do in a few moments is to say that we'll not be allowing civil immigration to occur with ICE agents in sensitive locations unless you have a court order or warrant for arrest. That would be a church, a place of worship, a school, a community center, our courthouses, because we do not want this rampant abuse of power flagrant abuse of power to continue anymore in our streets and in our communities.

[00:02:03]So, we're standing up. We're also saying there is no reason why ICE agents need to have a mask on.

[00:02:09]Other federal agents do not.

[00:02:11]You don't see it on DEA agents, ATF agents, FBI agents. You don't see it on our state police, our local police. So, there is no rationale other than to be intimidating and threatening to people.

[00:02:22]And so, we are banning masks for all law enforcement in the state of New York.

[00:02:27]Uh next, we are also making sure that people have a constitutional right to go to court if the federal government, ICE agents, have violated their rights. And whether it's a family of someone who's been left to die in the cold, or whether someone's had their business disrupted, or their place of worship disrupted, people have rights that we are not foregoing uh just because there's been this decision by the Trump administration to unleash hell on our streets.

[00:02:56]And this is a moment for us. This is an important moment for us to stand up for everyone. You know, we are a place where we'll protect people who are law-abiding. And this does not mean that we are a sanctuary for criminals. People are trying to play this into "Oh, they're letting They're inviting all the murderers and rapists." False narrative.

[00:03:15]We got to shut that down right now. This is about protecting people who came just like my grandparents came here in search of better life, and started with nothing. They were dirt poor. My grandfather was a migrant farm worker in the wheat fields of South Dakota because they would not hire the Irish at the time. A lot of discrimination back in those early days. And I'm a beneficiary of a system that embraced them. That gave an education, public education, got me where I am today. And so, I want that available for everyone. But Donald Trump said when he ran for office, "I'm going to go after the worst of the worst, the baddest of the bad." And people believed him.

[00:03:51]They bought that narrative. and people thought, "Okay, the baddest of the bad should go." Correct?

[00:03:56]But that is not who he's been going after.

[00:03:59]Going after our students, parents, on the way to a job.

[00:04:05]People going to a courthouse to follow the rules that they're told to follow, and they became sitting prey in a system that has been so skewed, so abused, so hijacked by immoral forces. And that's why we're standing here together, and we'll be in a few moments signing a bill. I'll be giving out a lot of pens to say that this is America still. 250 years later, it has its flaws, but it is a country we cherish.

[00:04:31]We love this country, and we're going to fight for it. And it starts with a place here in New York based on the legislation that I was able to secure with our leaders in the legislature. So, uh So, uh Bishop Hyde from the Episcopal Church, I want to thank you for being a beacon of support for the community.

[00:04:48]We've had conversations about this, but tell me what this means with respect to protecting sensitive locations like uh a place of worship.

[00:04:56]>> Governor, thank you for your leadership.

[00:04:58]Um the bill you're signing today makes a big difference. Uh we have 172 congregations from the South Shore of the Gateway, and this is going to make a difference for every single one. We We mean to welcome people every day, open our doors not just for worship, but for food and shelter to take care of our children.

[00:05:15]And the last year has made that so much harder.

[00:05:18]The removal of protection, the targeting of our siblings has been awful. Um incredible fear, people afraid to come out. We've had members of our community who have been detained.

[00:05:30]And so, restoring sensitive sites uh protection to our all our houses of worship um is an incredibly important thing. Removing masks is an incredibly important thing.

[00:05:41]Um this has been a difficult week.

[00:05:42]>> So, Bishop Lina, let me have you kick off the conversation and sort of ask everyone for their perspective. [snorts] And I it and I appreciate you taking a leadership role for this gathering today.

[00:05:51]>> Well, thank you Governor for asking. Uh, Reverend Boyd, how does this impact you?

[00:05:55]>> Well, first I want to thank you Governor for your leadership as well as your partners in governing. Um, we entered [clears throat] the twilight zone with the re-election of Donald Trump and we have seen a historical inversion of civil rights. We used to rely on the federal government to protect and uphold our constitutional rights against states that sought to eliminate us from the equation and now we're looking to states to affirm and undergird our constitutional rights and you have taken a leadership role and New York is again on the fore of uh of progressive policy.

[00:06:37]I would like to mention um that we do not have a historical analog for this.

[00:06:45]This is a new time that we're in. We need visionary progressive leadership and what you've done here is in essence is craft an immigrant's bill of rights that uh re- affirms our constitutional rights and it says that all New Yorkers, irrespective of immigration status, are protected by the Constitution and that's important when there is a full frontal assault on the Constitution and our democracy by a federal government that wishes to weaponize all of its resources against communities of color and immigrant communities. It's important that you uh that you have taken this progressive stand and it's important that we have set a tone in New York for the rest of the nation to follow. So, I appreciate your leadership.

[00:07:36]>> Mr. Speaker?

[00:07:38]>> Yes, this is really meaningful for our community. My name is Natalia. I am the co-executive director of Make the Road New York, and our members were also here in the room fought really hard throughout the the year um meeting with you, going to legislative visits, um and long days in Albany. And this is really meaningful because uh our students, for example, in Brentwood High School will have more protection around their data, around um feeling safe in a school, and not feeling that ICE can come in. Um we shared before the story of Norman and how his dad got stopped in Nassau County because of 287G agreements. This will stop those 287G agreements, and we look forward to fighting for uh members like Susie, whose son was deported because he was stopped at an informal um in an informal way in Westchester. And we look forward to also um stopping that, but this is the right step in the right direction for our immigrant communities in the whole state.

[00:08:33]>> All right, thank you and everyone from Make the Road for standing up. And uh you know about Norman's story. Um it was powerful. It had an effect on me. And Susie's still waiting for her son.

[00:08:44]She is Has he been deported then?

[00:08:46]>> Her son was deported on the way to church for having tinted windows in his car. That's the informal collusion.

[00:08:53]>> This >> Mr. Speaker.

[00:08:56]>> Um My name Aisha Balu.

[00:08:59]And thank you for Governor Cuomo having me here today.

[00:09:02]And it's very horrible now for me, you know.

[00:09:06]And the day they arrested me, I nothing thinking even that.

[00:09:11]And I'm blaming this to my son. Like for years I'm not seeing him. And for the Thanksgiving, and they arrested me on the um LaGuardia Airport. They take me all the way to Louisiana.

[00:09:25]And they take me Arizona and Texas and Louisiana.

[00:09:31]And I don't know why they tie me, tie my leg, even like I killed somebody or I did something criminal, you know?

[00:09:40]And um every day I'm thinking my head is you know like this.

[00:09:48]But uh I hope it's going to be okay.

[00:09:53]And thank you for you know everything to help.

[00:09:57]>> I'm sorry what you had to endure in this country.

[00:10:00]>> Yeah.

[00:10:01]>> In this country, that has never been how we've been defined. We've always stood up as a beacon in other countries and how we treat people.

[00:10:08]And I'm sorry that you are collateral damage to a policy that is so innately cruel. And um >> And um I think in America here, they're helping the people.

[00:10:20]They're not like like uh making the killing the people.

[00:10:27]Here is the you know is the making the people come.

[00:10:32]Helping.

[00:10:33]Doing nice.

[00:10:35]Everything.

[00:10:36]Now is everything changed.

[00:10:40]It's it's very very very difficult.

[00:10:43]>> You're a strong woman.

[00:10:45]Very strong woman to be able to handle that and come tell your story. I'm grateful for that.

[00:10:49]>> Yeah.

[00:10:49]>> It's really good.

[00:10:51]>> [snorts] >> My name is Bishop Raymond Rivera and I represent a network of 3,000 Latino uh churches uh here in New York City and in New York State and I want to thank the governor for for inspirational words of conviction and deep conviction and also for everything you're doing as it relates to affordability, health, education, even insurance. All of that helps the Latino community. A third of all New York City residents, as you [clears throat] know, are Latino. And not only that, but in the enclaves of New York State, Rochester, Buffalo, there are vibrant Latino communities. This legislation is uh significant for our community because the majority of of the people that are affected by this are Latino. But let's be clear to the press, this is not a Latino issue. There are continental Africans that are affected. There are Caribbeans that are affected.

[00:11:54]There are people from Islamic countries that are affected. So while sometimes it's stereotyped as a Latino issue, this issue affects uh a diversity of people and this legislation, uh the mass agents, uh sensitive places of worship uh is very important to us. So we just want to affirm your leadership. We know it's not just political, it's it's rooted in your deep convictions and your own faith tradition and we we're glad you're standing not only with uh our faith community, but with uh our communities that even maybe have no faith, but they're also affected by this issue and I think that uh your leadership is very important. So on behalf at least the Latino community, again 1/3 of all city residents, a significant population in New York State, uh it's a very important stance that you're taking and we just want to at least as a faith community affirm your leadership.

[00:13:01]>> Thank you for that. We appreciate that.

[00:13:05]>> Thank you very much.

[00:13:07]Uh I'm Diosdado Cardona. I'm Norma's father.

[00:13:11]Um I'm very thankful um for everything you do.

[00:13:19]Thank you. Uh I've been uh 8 months in detention center and I've been through all this um situation. It's a terrible uh through all this, you know, mental health.

[00:13:40]And thank God I'm I'm being strong and I've been I can go through this and thank thank you for everything you do for for the workers and because I'm not criminal.

[00:13:56]Uh yes, looking for you know, something to survive to feed my kids and to pay all my bills. That's all I do. And it was a It was terrible over there, but thank God I'm here. I'm back. Thank you and thank you everything you do.

[00:14:15]>> crying when Norman told me your story.

[00:14:17]>> Oh, thank you.

[00:14:19]>> I I it was so emotional. It was so emotional.

[00:14:22]When he said everything you did was for you and you made the honor roll and he wanted something more than to tell you in person they made the honor roll. That just brought me to tears.

[00:14:35]So, thank you. Thank you for raising good boys.

[00:14:39]>> Thanks. I'm glad I'm proud of them and I I couldn't take my older my older children because he wasn't uh testing. So, but I I took him on my name.

[00:14:52]And uh But all I have to want to say is thank you for everything you do.

[00:14:57]>> Thank you. Thank you.

[00:14:57]>> All right.

[00:14:58]>> Good name, right?

[00:15:01]You know, those are the stories. They're the real ones, the human ones, the ones that they don't touch your heart and break your heart then you really are not really human.

[00:15:11]You have you've lost compassion and so >> Thank you. God bless.

[00:15:13]>> I'm so happy that you're back.

[00:15:16]>> Thank you very much.

[00:15:18]>> I'm Sean Wright, I'm superintendent of the Roosevelt Union Free School District. 68% of our students are Hispanic Latino.

[00:15:26]And the other percentage of 32% of our students are African-American.

[00:15:30]Now, one of the things that we teach our teach our students in our schools here in the state of New York and around the country is our core democratic values.

[00:15:38]And one of those core democratic values is common good.

[00:15:42]And I unfortunately was in a situation where I found out that one of our students one of the very first student in Nassau County on the island that was detained by ICE was just coming home from going to the grocery store.

[00:16:00]And it was in the month of May or early spring.

[00:16:03]And when he was detained he was on his way to graduate and getting his high school diploma.

[00:16:11]And unfortunately he didn't have the opportunity to walk like everyone else at commencement to get his diploma, to shake hands with the Board of Education, and have that special moment with his family.

[00:16:23]And in that situation he was sent to Texas outside of the state of New York at a detention center where I ended up having an opportunity to visit.

[00:16:35]Um I took some time off to go over there and meet with him, to have conversation with him, and make no mistake about it it is a prison that they're placing these individuals in.

[00:16:46]So he was there for a number of months and and I also want to let you know what they do to these detainees, especially these young detainees, is they try to intimidate them.

[00:16:57]They try to tell them either you sign away on this sheet of paper your rights to a or if you and choose to self-deport or we'll they'll self-deport and we'll deport you and you now have the right to come back.

[00:17:12]That's what he was told. So he was fearful he would never have the opportunity to come back here to New York, Nassau County, to be with his family.

[00:17:20]Um so he signed it.

[00:17:23]So there's a long story with all of this, but I didn't get an opportunity to give him his diploma.

[00:17:28]Even his yearbook.

[00:17:30]His cap and gown, which was the goal and objective, you know, with me going there.

[00:17:35]So him being deported, I made a decision to go out to Guatemala cuz I didn't want this story to end there.

[00:17:41]You know, and I had the fortunate opportunity to meet with his family.

[00:17:46]Um his dad, his sister. His mom, unfortunately, has gone on to glory and didn't have the opportunity to be there for him. But at least I had the opportunity to give him what it is that he was denied on the day of graduation.

[00:17:58]It was just simply delayed. So I'm grateful for your work. I'm grateful for the state of New York and and you keeping our students in our school districts safe.

[00:18:09]>> Thanks for the compassion you showed this young man.

[00:18:13]Um these are the quiet heroes that walk among us.

[00:18:17]And that conviction that this young person decided that deserved what you gave him.

[00:18:25]The story going to keep with me.

[00:18:27]I thought we are fortunate to have people that just care so deeply.

[00:18:30]I'm proud.

[00:18:32]Proud to be a governor of a state that has people like this who are out there being on the front lines of fighting in their own way.

[00:18:39]>> Mr. Mayor.

[00:18:40]>> Good morning. Frankie Miranda president CEO, Hispanic Federation. Governor, I just want to say thank you.

[00:18:46]Thank you for your leadership. From the very beginning, you have been an incredible friend to our community.

[00:18:51]But I wanted double click on something that you mentioned when you started uh this conversation. And it's about sending a strong message to the federal government. From the very beginning, you have been an incredible champion of defending the rights of all New Yorkers.

[00:19:08]But what is happening today is going to have a repercussion at the national level sending a strong message of what can be done at the state level to protect people at the state level to serve as a model of implementation but also sending a strong message to the federal government that this will not be allowed or tolerated in our state and you are leading that charge. You're leading that charge because what we have been seeing in Chicago, Los Angeles, Charlotte and Minneapolis and so many other places it is truly a rehearsal for what they want to do in New York.

[00:19:43]We represent what they hate.

[00:19:46]They represent we represent sanctuary cities we represent the economic prosperity of a state that is driven by the right values and you are the head of the state and you have the demonstrated that leadership and that commitment.

[00:20:02]And we need to make sure that what is happening other states is not a rehearsal but that what they want to do in New York. Now they know that they will have a really really hard time if they think about coming here the way that they have done in other states and other cities. So thank you. Now we need to work on our communities to really understand their rights and that they're protected and that is our commitment as the non-profit sector to be those trusted messengers for you and for this administration.

[00:20:30]>> Thank you so much. Thank you.

[00:20:32]And one one other dynamic that was referenced is the ban on 287G agreements which simply allow for local police officers to be deputized as ICE agents and our view is that I dubbed the law local cops local crimes. I want our local police officers focused on local crimes.

[00:20:52]Or you know responding to an auto accident or domestic violence case or a shooting.

[00:20:58]And I'm funding many these entities with allocated over $3 billion in the last few years toward law enforcement all local law enforcement And to know that there's an agency, the ICE ICE has 85 billion dollars operating budget, 85 billion dollars.

[00:21:17]They're literally taking law off the streets and deputizing it. They do not need, and nor should have access to our local police who have another job to do that is paid for by the local taxpayers and the state of Maryland. It is wildly inappropriate that these be allowed.

[00:21:31][clears throat] That's a lot of That's That's a lot of paper.

[00:21:38]That's a lot of paper.

[00:21:39]>> [laughter] >> I know there's a lot of water.

[00:21:41]>> We're grabbing one.

[00:21:41]>> Okay, thanks, yeah.

[00:21:42]Um It's all right.

[00:21:46]So, these contracts are for um number of months.

[00:21:52]We're telling all the entities, I think there's maybe nine counties, maybe 12 agencies around the state. So, it's not We have 62 counties, only nine do this.

[00:22:02]But, they'll be vocally opposed to what we're doing here, but they're saying they have to go back to their own residents and explain to them why you're allowing police officers to be taken off their jobs to do civil ICE enforcement, civil immigration enforcement. Not fighting crimes, not protecting the community, but to do ICE's job for them. That's what we're ending as well. That is makes no sense to me, and using jails that are supported by local taxpayers to be your own detention centers, we're banning that as well. Because some of these are hellholes as well.

[00:22:36]So, these are the fights we're up against, but you just have to do the right thing in life.

[00:22:43]And today is so crystal clear to me what is the right thing to do on behalf of the people of the state, and as you mentioned, Frankie, to send a message uh to Washington and the rest of the country that enough is enough.

[00:22:56]Enough is enough.

[00:22:58]>> So, we're going to really quickly say our final remarks.

[00:23:00]>> How you doing?

[00:23:01]>> Hi, Stacy.

[00:23:02]>> Good. Hi, how are you doing? How's school going?

[00:23:04]>> Good, really Good.