Take Action!
Take action to pass the Dignity Not Detention Act and end ICE detention in New York State!
There are five facilities across New York State that are actively being used for immigrant detention. One is the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility and four are county jails: Orange County Correctional Facility, Clinton Correctional Facility, Rensselaer County Correctional Facility, and Chautauqua County Jail. (Note that the Dignity Not Detention Act pertains only to contracts between the New York State government and ICE, so it would not affect the detention center in Buffalo, which is run by the federal government.) There are over 80 people currently detained by ICE in county jails alone. Additionally, there are 76 facilities in New York that ICE can use to detain New Yorkers — including jails, but also hotels and hospitals. And in October 2020, ICE issued a Request for Information seeking to add detention sites in New York within a 60-mile radius of the ICE New York City field office. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the dangers of ICE detention and incarceration, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that ICE detention isn’t ending under Biden – in fact, it’s increasing right now.
It’s time to take action to end ICE detention in New York! New York must pass the Dignity Not Detention Act to end immigrant detention contracts between ICE and state and local governmental entities. The bill aims to give dignity to immigrant New Yorkers, and free our communities from detention and incarceration. We need the New York State legislature to support and pass this crucial bill to end our state’s collaboration with ICE.
Email the State Senate Majority Leader
Email Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to demand a Senate bill number for the Dignity Not Detention Act before the next legislative session begins!
Albany Office: (518) 455-2585 and (518) 455-2715
District Office: (914) 423-4031
NYC Office: (914) 423-4031
Email: scousins@nysenate.gov
Script:
Hello, my name is [YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME]. I’m reaching out to ask Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins to support the Dignity Not Detention Act and ensure it gets a bill number before the next legislative session begins. This bill will end all contracts between ICE and the state government for immigrant detention in New York State.
The Dignity not Detention Act was introduced in the Assembly in April by Karines Reyes, and submitted for introduction in the Senate by Julia Salazar at the same time. But there is still no bill number in the Senate! This makes it incredibly hard for people to advocate for the bill, for Senators to learn about & cosponsor it, and for it to have any chance of passing. This is an urgent issue. We cannot continue to be complicit with, and profit from, ICE detention in New York!
Will Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins support the New York Dignity Not Detention Act and ensure that it gets a bill number before the next legislative session?
Email Your State Senator &
Assembly Member
Use this tool to send a letter to your legislators:
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/pass-the-new-york-dignity-not-detention-act
Call Your Legislators
Call/Email them and say:
Hello, My name is [YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME] and I am a resident of your district.
I am reaching out to ask [REPRESENTATIVE’s NAME] to support the New York Dignity Not Detention Act, a new bill that will end all contracts in New York State between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local, county, and state government entities for the purposes of immigrant detention. The bill will prohibit new contracts and renewals, and end existing detention contracts. Assembly Member Karines Reyes and State Senator Julia Salazar are sponsoring the bill.
There are four county jails across New York State where ICE is actively detaining immigrants, and many more facilities where they are permitted to do so. ICE is also actively seeking to expand detention in New York. In October 2020, ICE issued a Request for Information seeking to add detention sites in New York within a 60-mile radius of the ICE New York City Field Office.
Now is a critical moment to fight to end ICE detention in New York State. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated already terrible conditions in detention, making it clearer than ever that detention is a public health risk and that no one should be detained. While President Biden and the federal government have indicated that they hope to reduce immigration enforcement, this has yet to meaningfully translate to practice. Therefore, it is up to cities and states to take action to end ICE’s abusive practices and make New York a safe place for immigrants. Will [REPRESENTATIVE’s NAME] commit to cosponsoring the Dignity Not Detention Act?
Thank you, [NAME]