New York’s city and state governments have given more than $600 million of taxpayer money to legal and immigrant-advocacy groups fighting President Trump’s immigration agenda.
One group, the Bronx Defenders, has received more than $500 million in city contracts since fiscal year 2018 to provide legal services to migrants.
Other groups, such as Make the Road NY, have received tens of millions of dollars in contracts as well.
Make the Road organized a rally at the state capitol last month in support of a sanctuary bill. Protesters chanted, “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here.”
The New York Immigration Coalition received $46 million in taxpayer money.
“New York City should not be in the business of carrying out Donald Trump’s mass disappearance agenda, which is in fact illegal under our local laws,” Tweeted Murad Awadeh, executive director of the NYICC.
These groups have been pushing a statewide sanctuary bill called the New York for All Act that would prevent state and local law enforcement from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. This would include providing ICE with information, as well as turning over or deporting illegal immigrants.
Another bill in the works, the Dignity not Detention Act, would ban local jails from renting space to ICE for detention of migrants.
Neither bill has yet passed the state Senate.
Hellbound and Down 