We currently have 22 cosponsors in the Senate (that number does not include electeds who support the legislation but are not presently willing to join as a cosponsor). We need 43 cosponsors to secure a veto-proof majority.
Tier 1 Senator James Sanders: District 10, Southeast Queens
Albany Office: 518-455-3531
District Office: 718-523-3069
Email: sanders@nysenate.gov
General Inquiry Form: https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/james-sanders-jr/contact
Phone & Email Script:
Hi, my name is _________, and I am a resident of [NYC/NYS]. I am [calling/emailing] to urge Senator Sanders to throw his full support behind the Dignity Not Detention Act (S.306/A.4354), which will prevent governmental entities from contracting with ICE to cage immigrants, while ending current contracts.
Senator Sanders has been a champion for his constituents in Southeast Queens around issues of wage protection and housing. We call on the Senator to further protect his community by ending the caging of immigrants.
Having cosponsored New York for All (NY4All), the Senator should extend his support for immigrants to include Dignity Not Detention (DND). DND is essential to safeguard the values reflected in NY4All: the state is inherently collaborating with ICE by allowing ICE jails to operate here.
Will you join over 100 organizations across New York to cosponsor NY DND and help it pass this legislative session?
Tier 1 Senator John C. Liu: District 16, Northeast Queens
Albany Office: (518) 455-2210
District Office: (718) 765-6675
Email: liu@nysenate.gov
General Inquiry Form: https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/john-c-liu/contact
Phone & Email Script:
Hi, my name is _________, and I am a resident of [NYC/NYS]. I am [calling/emailing] to urge Senator Liu to throw his full support behind the Dignity Not Detention Act (S.306 /A.4354), which will prevent governmental entities from contracting with ICE to cage immigrants, while ending current contracts.
Senator Liu has been a champion for immigrant rights in NYC. Having co-sponsored New York for All (NY4All), Senator Liu should extend his support for immigrants to include Dignity Not Detention (DND). DND is essential to safeguard the values reflected in NY4All: the state is inherently collaborating with ICE by allowing ICE jails to operate here.
Will you join over 100 organizations across New York, including the Minkwon Center based in Flushing, to cosponsor NY DND and help it pass this legislative session?
Tier 1 Senator Roxanne Persaud: District 19, which includes the following portions of Southeast Brooklyn: Canarsie, Cypress Hills, East New York, Brownsville, Lindenwood, Ocean Hill, Starrett City, and portions of Howard Beach.
Albany Office: 518-455-2788
District Office: 718-649-7653
Email: Persaud@nysenate.gov
Generic Contact Form: https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/roxanne-j-persaud/contact
Phone & Email Script:
My name is _____ and I am a resident of _____. I am [calling/emailing] to urge Senator Persaud to throw her full support behind the Dignity Not Detention Act (S.306 /A.4354), which will prevent government entities from contracting with ICE to cage immigrants, while ending current contracts.
Having supported the Access to Representation Act (ARA), it is a logical step for Senator Persaud to extend her support for immigrants to include Dignity Not Detention (DND). DND is essential to safeguard the values reflected in ARA: incarceration by ICE is the single biggest obstacle to effective representation and due process for immigrants facing deportation, who often can’t effectively prepare their own case while behind bars during proceedings.
Senator Persaud’s district includes several neighborhoods with the highest percentages of immigrants in the state, and DND would directly help protect them and keep their families together, because the presence of local ICE jails increases ICE arrests in a given area.
When we met with a staffer in April, we were told the Senator was still reviewing the bill. Now that more time has passed, can we count on her to join the growing chorus of lawmakers supporting DND to protect immigrants in the district and the state?
Tier 1 Senator Sean M. Ryan: The 61st Senate District includes parts of the City of Buffalo, the City of Tonawanda, the Towns of Amherst, Grand Island, and Tonawanda, as well as the Villages of Kenmore and Williamsville.
Albany Office: (518) 455-3240
District Office: (716) 854-8705
Email: ryan@nysenate.gov
Generic Contact Form: https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/sean-m-ryan/contact
Phone & Email Script:
Hi, my name is _________, and I am a resident of [NYC/NYS]. I am [calling/emailing] to urge Senator Ryan to cosponsor the Dignity Not Detention Act (S.306 /A.4354), which, as we discussed in our meeting with your office on April 16th, will prevent government entities from contracting with ICE to cage immigrants, while ending current contracts.
We know that Senator Ryan is a strong supporter of unions, and New York's migrant workers are a backbone of unions across the state. Immigrant detention tears apart families, producing negative impacts throughout communities, even for workers who may not themselves have a family member in ICE detention.
Can we count on you to cosponsor the New York Dignity Not Detention Act and help it pass this legislative session?
// Tier 1 Assembly targets 2024; currently on hold //
Tier 1 Senator Tim Kennedy: The 63rd District of the New York State Senate contains much of the city of Buffalo and all of Cheektowaga and Lackawanna.
Albany Office: (518) 455-2426
District Office: (716) 826-2683
Email: kennedy@nysenate.gov; also mulhern@nysenate.gov (Policy Director McKayla Mulhern; we met with her in Albany on 4/16/24)
Generic Contact Form: https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/timothy-m-kennedy/contact
Phone & Email Script:
Hi, my name is _________, and I am a resident of [NYC/NYS]. I am [calling/emailing] to urge Senator Kennedy to cosponsor the Dignity Not Detention Act (S.306 /A.4354), which, as we discussed in our meeting with your policy director, McKayla Mulhern, on April 16th, will prevent government entities from contracting with ICE to cage immigrants, while ending current contracts.
We know from our meeting with Ms. Mulhern, who was extremely knowledgeable and supportive, that Senator Kennedy understands both the importance of western New York's migrant communities (in your district mainly Bangladeshi, Yemeni, and Polish) and how the culture of fear created by immigration detention affects every aspect of life for migrants.
Having cosponsored the Access to Representation Act (ARA) and New York for All (NY4All), we are very hopeful that now Senator Kennedy will extend his support for migrants to Dignity Not Detention (DND), since it is essential to safeguard the values reflected in NY4All and ARA: incarceration by ICE is the single biggest obstacle to effective representation and due process, and the state is inherently collaborating with ICE by allowing ICE jails to operate here.
Can we count on you to cosponsor the New York Dignity Not Detention Act and help it pass this legislative session?
Tier 1 Senator Jeremy Cooney: The 56th District of the New York State Senate is comprised entirely of the County of Monroe, and includes the towns of Brighton, Gates, Greece, Henrietta and parts of the City of Rochester, including Charlotte, Historic Maplewood, and the University of Rochester.
Albany Office: (518) 455-2909
District Office: (585) 225-3650
Email: cooney@nysenate.gov
Generic Contact Form: https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/jeremy-cooney/contact
Phone & Email Script:
Hi, my name is _________, and I am a resident of [NYC/NYS]. I am [calling/emailing] to urge Senator Cooney to throw his full support behind the Dignity Not Detention Act (S.306 /A.4354), which will prevent governmental entities from contracting with ICE to cage immigrants, while ending current contracts.
Senator Cooney’s focus on poverty relief and job creation aligns with DND’s goals, which are to increase the number of opportunities available to asylum seekers and get them out of a system that exacerbates economic stress.
Having cosponsored the Access to Representation Act (ARA) and New York for All (NY4All), Senator Cooney should extend his support for immigrants to include Dignity Not Detention (DND). DND is essential to safeguard the values reflected in NY4All and ARA: incarceration by ICE is the single biggest obstacle to effective representation and due process, and the state is inherently collaborating with ICE by allowing ICE jails to operate here.
Will you join over 100 organizations across New York, including Rochester groups like the Rochester Greece Ubuntu, Rapid Response Network, and Alianza Agrícola, and cosponsor NY DND and help it pass this legislative session?