State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins has thrown her support behind legislation aimed at expanding sanctuary protections for immigrants in New York, signaling that immigration policy will remain a central issue in Albany during this election year.
Speaking on wednesday during her opening remarks for the new legislative session, Stewart Cousins highlighted the “New York for All” bill as part of the Democratic majority’s agenda.
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“We will stand firm in defense of voting rights and equal rights,” she said. “One of our central focuses will be standing up for communities that are being targeted and marginalized, which includes protecting our immigrant brothers and sisters by advancing the goals of New York for All.”
The bill, first introduced six years ago, would limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Despite repeated efforts, it has never passed either chamber of the State Legislature. In the past, several Democratic leaders, including Stewart Cousins, maintained that immigration enforcement should primarily be handled at the federal level.
Revisiting the legislation now comes as Governor Kathy Hochul seeks a second full term and prepares for a high profile election cycle. The move is expected to draw sharp attention from her Republican challenger, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, and President Donald Trump, who has shown a willingness to directly involve himself in New York politics.
Hochul has previously opposed measures that restrict cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in cases involving convicted felons.
“Someone breaks the law, I’ll be the first one to call up ICE and say, ‘Get them out of here,’” Hochul said following Trump’s 2024 election victory. “I don’t want them here. I don’t want anybody terrorizing my citizens.”
However, since lawmakers last convened in Albany in June, federal immigration actions have intensified. These efforts have increasingly targeted individuals beyond those with criminal records, drawing renewed concern from immigrant advocacy groups and progressive lawmakers.
Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, who is considering a primary challenge against Hochul, welcomed Stewart Cousins’ remarks.
“I like to hear that,” Delgado said. “Our immigrant communities are under siege.”
Delgado noted that a growing number of counties have entered into 287(g) agreements, which allow local law enforcement to work directly with ICE. He said the New York for All bill would eliminate those partnerships. Last summer, Delgado urged Hochul to call a special legislative session to force a vote on the measure.
Republicans, meanwhile, are preparing to make sanctuary policies a campaign issue.
“If you distill it all down, it is about protecting people who commit crimes against the citizens of New York state,” said State Senator George Borrello. “That’s what sanctuary policy is. It’s bad policy and has made New York state a far less safe place to live.”
Blakeman, the likely Republican gubernatorial nominee, recently made headlines by authorizing Nassau County police officers to work as ICE agents. He has promoted the move as a crime fighting strategy. That partnership would be prohibited under the New York for All proposal.
Advocates remain hopeful that election year politics will not derail the bill’s passage.
“Regardless of it being an election year, doing the right thing means standing up and delivering for your constituencies,” said Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition. “Now is the time to take action, and New York state must be decisive and show all 19 million residents where they stand.”
While the Senate leadership’s support signals momentum, passage is far from guaranteed. Advocates view the Assembly’s Democratic majority as a more significant obstacle. Even if the bill clears both chambers, Hochul would not be required to sign or veto it until December, after the election.
Still, a Senate vote alone would elevate the issue and ensure immigration policy dominates the final stretch of the legislative session this spring.
“My hope is that as more people elevate this issue and this legislation and make clear how critical it is, there will be continued momentum and energy around it,” Delgado said. “And there will be the requisite response.”
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