Commissioner Ali describes immigrant community fear and service access
Commissioner Ali describes what sanctuary protections mean in practice, including going to hospitals and entrusting children to public schools without fear. She says increased federal immigration activity has heightened fear and disrupted families.
That trust is something that I've experienced firsthand through conversations with community organizations on the ground, one-on-one conversations with immigrant leaders and impacted families, visits to immigration court, and canvassing across the city.
Those experiences have made clear to me that these protections are not abstract policies.
They shape whether people feel safe going about their daily lives.
For an immigrant New Yorker, that can mean going to the hospital with confidence, knowing that their immigration status does not determine their ability to access care.
It can mean entrusting their child to our public schools, knowing that city resources and property cannot be used for civil immigration enforcement.
That assurance is especially critical today, as increased activity by federal immigration agencies has heightened fear in immigrant communities and disrupted the lives of families and neighbors.
Responsive government requires us to continually examine the processes and safeguards we have in place to protect New Yorkers.