Legislature Overflows with Concerns Over ICE

The evening of February 3rd saw the Rockland County Legislature meet to discuss the potential of passing a bill known as the Safety and Dignity for All Act. Rocklanders showed up in droves with over 500 people both inside and outside the Rockland Board of Elections building in New City. The vote on this bill and the public hearing regarding the bill were both postponed, prompting Congressman Lawler to declare a “victory” hours before the legislature meeting ended. Despite this, the legislature moved forward with discussing the bill at length and listened to the concerns of over 40 Rockland residents. At the beginning of the meeting, chairman Hood stated “I don’t like what I’m seeing in Minneapolis” to much applause. 

Many of his colleagues parroted his remarks, with Dana Stilley (D-Orangetown) calling out a recent incident where Orangetown Supervisor Teresa Kenney,  made an offensive remark about the immigration status of a United States Veteran at a Town Hall hosted by Congressman Mike Lawler. Kenney has since released a statement saying she regrets the remark. 

The bill aims to limit the amount of power that ICE would hold in Rockland county, mimicking the 2018 “Immigrant Protection Law” in Westchester. If the Safety and Dignity Act were to be passed, any ICE arrests or actions in Rockland county would require a judicial warrant. However, the law proposed ensures ICE agents have the ability to make arrests and deport those who have broken the law or have in the past been convicted of a crime. Despite popular belief, the law does not grant Rockland County sanctuary status, but instead works to protect Rocklanders and provide guardrails for the activities of ICE agents. 

In the 2018 Immigration Protection Law, the Committee recommended passage of the act due to immigrants concerns and fears around reporting crimes to law enforcement. The act stated “Your Committee is aware that many immigrants are frightened to cooperate with law enforcement when they need assistance in their home community. In a study by the University of Illinois, 45% of Latinos stated that they are less likely to voluntarily offer information about crimes and are less likely to report a crime because they are afraid the police will ask them or people they know about their immigration status. 1 Meanwhile, 70% of undocumented immigrants report that they are less likely to contact law enforcement authorities if they are a victim of a crime, according to the same report. This undermines the safety of all Westchester residents. Your Committee is also aware that only about 690,000 (6.3%) of the approximately 11 million unauthorized immigrants estimated to be in the United States have been convicted of a felony or serious misdemeanor.”

During the public comments, 43 people brought their concerns to the podium from all sides of the political divide. Many expressed concern for the safety of both non-citizens and citizens. The names of Keith Porter, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti were brought up repeatedly as American citizens who have been gunned down by rogue ICE agents. Legislators ensured the public that a date will be chosen for the public hearing and eventual vote on this bill. Many in the audience expressed frustration at what they felt to be a slow response to a rapidly escalating problem. 

To ease tension, legislators ensured those in attendance that a date would be chosen for the public hearing, promising to host said hearing at a larger venue. The number of people who showed up to the meeting, both inside and outside the building, had allegedly not been anticipated by the legislature. After two hours of comments from both the legislature and the public, a date for the hearing had still not been chosen despite demands for a concrete date or period of time from the audience. 

Following this, the Rockland Legislature voted and passed unanimously resolutions drafted by All Aboard Hudson Valley to study the feasibility of the West Shore Line. These resolutions were previously passed unanimously in Cornwall, NY as well as in the village of Haverstraw, ending the night on a win for both commuters and transit enthusiasts

.