With immigrant advocates and communities increasingly alarmed by the rise in immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, New York is moving to force federal immigration authorities to be more transparent about who is being stopped and the reasons behind it.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Representative Joseph Cowley, the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, last week introduced the Department of Homeland Security and Accountability and Transparency Act to Congress. This would force Customs and Border Protection, which is responsible for administering immigration laws at and near the US border, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who do so everywhere else, to make a report on every instance of them stopping someone, with those interaction details being supplied to Congress annually.
The information would then be made publicly available by Congress, as well as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen. On Wednesday, Cowley told the Observer that ICE was out of control and acting without oversight. He added that they cannot be allowed to roam around the likes of courthouses, hospitals, and schools unchecked and that basic human rights cannot be lost in pursuit of keeping the US safe.
Senators Jeff Merkley, Tom Udall, and Elizabeth Warren are co-sponsoring the bill. The legislation is also being supported by several organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Immigration Forum, the Asian American Foundation, the Niskanen Center, the New York Immigration Coalition, and the Southern Borders Communities Coalition and Make the Road New York.