In response to President Donald Trump’s newly announced travel ban and a wave of immigration enforcement actions at city immigration courthouses, New York City Council members and advocacy groups gathered on the steps of City Hall Wednesday to denounce the policies and urge peaceful resistance.
The rally, led by Councilmembers Susan Zhuang (D-43) and Farah Louis (D-45), brought together more than 30 immigrant rights advocates and constituents who carried signs that read “We Stand With Immigrants” and “Everyone Has Rights in America.”
Days before, city leaders questioned whether the collaboration between the NYPD and the federal government had violated the city’s sanctuary laws, which prohibit interaction between city and federal agencies in civil matters. Since then, thousands of New Yorkers have taken to the streets in protest of ICE detentions and in solidarity with demonstrators in Los Angeles.
“A lot of people have recently seen mass deportations. A lot of them feel it is not about them, but it will be,” Zhuang said. “They [the immigrants] take the jobs that no one wants to take. They are the ones delivering food on rainy days.”
Zhuang, who represents parts of Sunset Park, Borough Park and Bensonhurst, where according to 2020 census data, 53% are of Asian descent, warned of the economic toll that mass deportations will have on the city.
“If we deport all the immigrants what will happen in our city? Our price is gonna go up for everything,” she said. “Our food will increase significantly, and then the inflation rate will skyrocket high.”
Zhuang drew alarming parallels between the recent immigrant deportations and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which prohibited the entry of Chinese laborers into the U.S. for a decade.
The speakers also criticized Mayor Eric Adams for not supporting New Yorkers in this moment and demanded he speak up against President Trump, the same way he spoke out against then-President Joe Biden.
The speakers also decried the most recent implementation of Trump’s travel ban, which went into effect just after midnight on Monday. The directive bars nationals from 12 countries from entering the U.S., and implemented restrictions on seven other countries.
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Councilmember Louis, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti and the Bahamas, condemned the travel ban policy as direct discrimination against countries with populations of predominantly Black and Brown residents. “Blanket bans like this are a distraction from the real challenges our country and our city faces and are a betrayal to our democratic values,” she said. “Turning away immigrants, restricting Haitians fleeing instability is plain old cruelty.”
Louis, represents parts of Brooklyn where census data shows 61% of constituents are Black. Many in her district are also Haitian, Jamaican and Guayanese immigrants. She encouraged New Yorkers to raise their voices and stand up against the most recent crackdown at and outside immigration courts, where immigrants who are attending their hearings are being arrested after judges dismiss their cases per ICE’s request.
“Holding our government accountable is our fundamental right,” Louis said.
Asked about ongoing citywide demonstrations, Louis called on all government agencies, including the NYPD, to follow the U.S. Constitution and city law. “We have to follow the law if we want to make sure that people are safe.”
Regarding individuals who are vandalizing properties or who are acting as agitators, Louis said that the police must do their job, but added that people who are not committing any crimes should be allowed to exercise their First Amendment rights to protest peacefully.
“This is a city of immigrants,” Louis said. “We make up the fabric of this country. Everybody enjoys our food. Everybody enjoys the resources we provide. We bring the spice here in New York City. We bring the spice here in this country and they enjoy it. So while you enjoy it, respect it.”
