Support Grows For New York Civil Rights Act Amid Trump’s Harsh Immigration Policies
NEW YORK, New York – A coalition of civil rights, criminal justice reform, faith and immigrants’ rights advocates have announced their support for the New York Civil Rights Act legislation sponsored by Caribbean-American Democratic New York State Senator Zellnor Y. Myrie and Assembly member Gabriella Romero.
Myrie, whose grandmother hailed from Jamaica, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that the bill would allow New Yorkers to file civil suits in state courts against government agents for violating their civil rights.
“With each passing day, the urgency grows for a law that protects New Yorkers from constitutional violations by government agents,” said Myrie, representative for the 20th Senate District in Brooklyn. “Our rights have little meaning without a serious mechanism to enforce them.
“Along with other measures to safeguard New Yorkers under threat, the New York Civil Rights Act (NYCRA) will ensure that we have a meaningful pathway to protect ourselves from unconstitutional searches, warrantless arrests, and violent crackdowns on free speech and lawful protest,” he added. “My colleagues and I are laser-focused on building the strongest protections possible to defend us and the rights guaranteed to us by the US Constitution.
“To be clear, fighting for NYCRA today is an important battle for our rights, but it’s not the only fight that matters,” Myrie continued. “We must continue our efforts to restore true accountability, including by ending qualified immunity.”
Romero said , “At a time when the federal government is brazenly pushing the limits of its power and our communities are living in fear of aggressive and unchecked enforcement, we must ensure all New Yorkers are protected.
“We are seeing flagrant constitutional violations treated as routine with no accountability for the harm that follows,” she said. “The New York Civil Rights Act is a necessary tool to meet the moment we’re in, giving New Yorkers the ability to hold government officials accountable when they violate their rights and sending a clear message that New York will not be complicit in abuses of power.
“This bill is a necessary step in protecting the people of our state, but it is not the only one,” Romero added. “We must continue our fight towards ending qualified immunity to further ensure that no one is above the law.”
Jose Lopez, co-executive director of Make the Road New York, another immigrant advocacy group, also said that, “At a moment when our immigrant communities are enduring violence, unlawful ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids, racial profiling, and intimidation by masked agents, Senator Myrie’s New York Civil Rights Act offers New Yorkers a vital tool to hold abusive federal officials accountable for violating their rights.
“We all deserve to live in safety and without fear,” he said. “This legislation, paired with the New York for All Act, will become an essential safeguard to ensure that every family in our state can live with dignity.”
Medha Raman, legal fellow at the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), said that, “As the Trump administration continues to trample on people’s constitutional rights nationwide, state lawmakers must ensure New Yorkers have a way to hold federal agents accountable.
“The New York Civil Rights Act will do that by finally letting New Yorkers seek justice in state court if government agents violate their civil rights,” Raman said. “But accountability can’t stop there: lawmakers must also end qualified immunity for officials who break the law. Anything less leaves New Yorkers’ rights vulnerable to abuse and government misconduct unchecked.”
Keli Young, state policy advocate at the Innocence Project, said her organization is “encouraged to see Sen. Myrie and Assemblymember Romero’s leadership in creating a pathway for New Yorkers to sue government officials at every level who violate their rights—this is an important step.
