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RESOLUTION of the New York State Democratic Committee

Calling for the Restraining of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Reaffirm our Support for the New York for All Act

WHEREAS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was created in 2003 as part of the post-9/11 Department of Homeland Security and has since operated with sweeping police powers, minimal oversight, and a documented pattern of abuse against immigrant and non-immigrant communities alike;

WHEREAS, ICE agents, under the Trump Administration, have repeatedly detained, arrested, and surveilled U.S. citizens as well as undocumented immigrants, including through racial profiling, mistaken identity, and coercive enforcement tactics that amount to kidnappings under color of law;

WHEREAS, in the year 2026 alone, ICE operations under the supervision of Steven Miller, Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Patrol Chief, Gregory Bovino has caused the death of at least eight individuals who have died while in custody, including the horrific killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good; and

WHEREAS, ICE has conducted arrests without judicial warrants, entered homes and workplaces without consent, and relied on deceptive practices, violating Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures and Fifth Amendment guarantees of due process;

WHEREAS, the Trump administration’s actions in Minnesota represent a clear example of executive overreach and a violation of our aforementioned rights; and

WHEREAS, ICE detention centers—many run by for-profit private prison corporations—have been widely documented for unsafe conditions, medical neglect, abuse, and denial of legal access, resulting in preventable deaths and severe harm;

WHEREAS, it has already been established by a chief federal judge in Minnesota that ICE had violated nearly 100 court orders stemming from its aggressive crackdown in the state and had disobeyed more judicial directives in January alone than “some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence”; and

WHEREAS, ICE agents are not required to show their faces, which “erodes public trust in law enforcement and makes it harder to hold individual officers accountable for any potential bad behavior”; and

WHEREAS, the Latiné community is being disproportionately targeted by ICE agents, accounting for nearly three-quarters of arrests while making up just a quarter of the state's non-citizen population; and

WHEREAS, thousands of New Yorkers have already taken to the streets in protest to fight back against the Trump administration’s ICE crackdown in Minnesota; and

WHEREAS, in 2025, Republicans in Congress allocated $75 billion for ICE alone, making it the highest-funded federal law enforcement agency; and

WHEREAS, the continued funding of ICE by the U.S. Congress without appropriate constraints and legal guardrails enables these violations to persist and expands an agency whose core function, as executed under the Trump Administration, is incompatible with constitutional rights, human dignity, and community safety; and

WHEREAS, U.S. Senators possess both the authority and the obligation to halt funding for ICE until such constraints and legal guardrails, consistent with the United States Constitution shall be implemented; and

WHEREAS, ICE has become an agency that operates with violence, impunity and total disregard for human and civilian life; and

THEREFORE, be it RESOLVED, that the NYS Democratic Committee supports a comprehensive restructuring of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as it currently stands, including the transition from ICE toward a model that safeguards human rights and due process, while recognizing the need for border security; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that U.S. Senators are urged to oppose all funding for ICE, including through Department of Homeland Security appropriations and continuing resolutions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that U.S. Senators are called upon to introduce and support legislation to rein in ICE, cease its detention and deportation machinery as currently operating, bringing all operations into full compliance with all applicable laws and the United States Constitution, and invest instead in policies that uphold constitutional rights, human dignity, and true community safety for all; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The New York State Democratic Committee commends Governor Hochul’s recent proposal to outlaw 287(g) agreements, which are formal cooperation agreements between local law enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the New York State Democratic Committee reaffirms its support for the principles of the New York for All Act (NY4A). This legislation would prohibit state and local resources from being used to aid most non-criminal federal immigration enforcement and ensure that New York is not complicit in ICE’s violence.

Appendix I: Sources

Anderson, M. (2025, June 4). Private prisons and local jails are ramping up as ICE detention exceeds capacity. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/06/04/nx-s1-5417980/private-prisons-and-local-jails-are-ramping-up-as-ice-detention-exceeds-capacity

Barr, L. (2026, January 22). ICE memo allows agents to enter homes without judicial warrant: Whistleblower complaint. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/US/ice-memo-allows-agents-enter-homes-judicial-warrant/story?id=129436766

Feuer, A. (n.d.). Judge in Minnesota says ice has violated nearly 100 court orders - The New York Times. Judge in Minnesota Says ICE Has Violated Nearly 100 Court Orders. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/us/politics/judge-minnesota-ice-court-orders.html

Gold, M. (n.d.). Republicans gave ice a slush fund. Democrats want to limit it. - The New York Times. Republicans Gave ICE a Slush Fund. Democrats Want to Limit It. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/us/politics/ice-funding-congress.html

Hellmann, M. (2026, January 28). Eight people have died in dealings with ice so far in 2026. these are their stories. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/28/deaths-ice-2026-

Lewis, R. C. (2026, January 30). Hochul proposes banning local cooperation with ice. City & State NY. https://www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2026/01/hochul-proposes-banning-local-cooperation-ice/411095/?oref=csny-homepage-top-story

Martichoux , A. (n.d.). Why do ice officers wear masks – and is it legal?. Why do ICE officers wear masks – and is it legal? https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_media_wire/5708416-why-do-ice-officers-wear-masks-and-is-it-legal/

Ryan, E., Detrow, S., Garsd, J., & Keatley, A. (2025, September 13). The Supreme Court clears the way for ICE agents to treat race as grounds for immigration stops. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/09/13/nx-s1-5507125/the-supreme-court-clears-the-way-for-ice-agents-to-treat-race-as-grounds-for-immigration-stops

Schweber, N. (n.d.). Over a thousand protesters in NYC denounce ice after latest killing - The New York Times. Over a Thousand Protesters in New York Denounce ICE After Latest Killing. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/us/nyc-ice-protest-alex-pretti.html

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (n.d.). History of ice | ice. History of ICE. https://www.ice.gov/history