At a moment when federal immigration enforcement has descended into a
crisis of lawlessness, New York has an opportunity—and an obligation—to
lead the nation toward justice. That is why Senate Majority Leader Andrea
Stewart-Cousins’ support for the New York for All Act deserves recognition.
It is a principled, necessary stand at a time when the federal government’s
abuses are literally killing Americans.
Across the country, and acutely in Democratic-led states like New York, ICE
and Border Patrol officers have been routinely stopping, questioning, and
detaining U.S. citizens and lawfully present residents. These are not isolated mistakes but part of a pattern of unconstitutional policing rooted in racial profiling, intimidation, and unchecked power. And now, the consequences have turned fatal.
We all know what happened last month: Renee Nicole Good and Alex
Pretti were killed by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, in separate
incidents less than three weeks apart. According to multiple reports, Good
was shot four times, including in the head, on January 7, 2026, after ICE
officers approached her car; bystander video contradicts federal claims that
she weaponized her vehicle. Her death has been officially ruled a homicide.
Then, on January 24, Pretti, an ICU nurse, was shot multiple times during
what federal officials claimed was an armed confrontation. However, video verified by The New York Times and described in contemporaneous reporting shows Pretti standing among protesters with both hands visible—holding only a phone—before agents peppersprayed the crowd, tackled him to the ground, and opened fire. These killings were so egregious that federal prosecutors in Minnesota have threatened mass
resignation over what they describe as illegal ICE operations and a Justice Department smear campaign designed to justify the deaths.
This is not simply federal overreach—this is federal misconduct. When ICE
violates court orders nearly 100 times in a single month, as a federal judge
reported, and carries out “militarized raids” that terrorize residents, the
states must respond.
Last Friday, Governor Kathy Hochul introduced legislation that would
effectively bar ICE from co-opting state and local law enforcement in civil
immigration enforcement. The governor’s action – which follows new measures she unveiled in her annual `State of the State’ address to protect the constitutional rights of New Yorkers from federal overreach and hold federal agents accountable for unconstitutional action — is significant because across the nation, ICE agents are using rough-handed search and seizure methods on citizens. And here’s the point: when federal agents abuse their authority, act aggressively and trample constitutional rights it erodes trust between communities and all law enforcement.
That is why the New York for All Act matters so profoundly.
The act (S2235A/A3506) would prohibit state and local agencies from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement in ways that enable abuses—such as turning over personal data, assisting in warrantless detentions, or participating in ICE operations that target people based on race, language, or perceived immigration status. At its core, the New York for All Act reinforces a simple truth: public safety does not come from violating people’s rights.
The bill also recognizes a reality that Minneapolis tragically illuminated:
when federal officers operate with impunity, every resident—regardless of
citizenship—is at risk. The killings of Good and Pretti were not just
violations of immigration norms but of the most fundamental American
principles: due process, equal protection, and government accountability.
Communities across the nation are not accepting these abuses. Anti-ICE
demonstrations have erupted nationwide, including student walkouts and
mass protests in New York City. New York, however, can do more than
protest. It can legislate.
By advancing the New York for All Act, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins is
asserting that New Yorkers will not be conscripted into the federal
government’s civil rights violations. She is also upholding a long-standing
New York value: the belief that our diversity is a point of pride, not
suspicion. The bill ensures that residents can access schools, hospitals,
courts, and public services without fear of being profiled, detained, or
funneled into a deportation pipeline simply because an ICE officer decided
that their skin color or accent made them a “target.”
The killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti are now part of our
national conscience. Their names belong in the same conversation as past
victims of abusive government force. But they also serve as a warning: if states do not draw clear boundaries, federal agencies that violate their mission will keep pushing until tragedy becomes routine.
And in this moment—when masked federal officers are stopping people on streets and at workplaces without warrants, profiling them because they speak Spanish, work lowwage jobs, or simply look “foreign”—New York
must send a resounding message:
This is not who we are. And we will not be complicit.
The New York for All Act is not just good policy; it is moral leadership. And
it is exactly what this moment demands.
David R. Jones, Esq., is President and CEO of the Community Service
Society of New York (CSS), the leading voice on behalf of low-income
New Yorkers for more than 175 years. The views expressed in this
column are solely those of the writer. The Urban Agenda is available
on CSS’s website: www.cssny.org.