By: Jordan Baker

New York Democrats are doubling down on immigration as a central campaign issue, unanimously backing a resolution condemning Immigration and Customs Enforcement and endorsing legislation that would effectively turn the Empire State into a full-fledged sanctuary. As the New York Post reported, party leaders signed off on the symbolic measure at their state convention in Syracuse, betting that anger toward ICE will energize voters ahead of November’s midterm elections.

The resolution throws support behind the controversial New York for All Act, a sweeping proposal that would sharply limit — and in many cases prohibit — cooperation between local governments and federal immigration authorities. The measure paints ICE as an agency operating “with violence, impunity and total disregard for human and civilian life,” language that underscores just how aggressively Democrats are leaning into the issue, according to the New York Post.

Under the legislation championed in the resolution, state and local resources would be barred from assisting most non-criminal federal immigration enforcement actions. The goal, Democrats argue, is to ensure New York is not “complicit” in ICE operations they describe as abusive.

The vote was unanimous, a show of unity that signals Democratic leadership is eager to make immigration enforcement a defining issue this election cycle. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins were both present for the vote, reinforcing the message that the party is aligned from top to bottom, the Post reported.

Polling suggests Democrats believe the politics are on their side. A recent Siena University poll found that 61% of New York voters disapprove of ICE’s tactics, including the same percentage of respondents in suburban counties — traditionally swing territory. That data point was frequently cited by party insiders as proof that attacking ICE could be a winning strategy statewide, according to reporting by the New York Post.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, who was formally nominated at the convention, has noticeably shifted her tone on immigration enforcement in recent months. Her change in posture followed the high-profile killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during a federal immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis, events that intensified criticism of ICE from progressive activists and Democratic lawmakers.

Hochul has announced plans to push legislation that would prevent local governments from entering formal cooperation agreements with ICE, though specific details have yet to be released. Still, the resolution’s passage makes clear where her party stands, the New York Post reported.

Democrats also used the moment to take aim at Republicans — particularly Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Hochul’s likely GOP opponent in the governor’s race. Assemblyman Brian Cunningham of Brooklyn blasted Blakeman for working with ICE, drawing applause from convention delegates.

“He’s someone who thinks ICE is doing a great job,” Cunningham said, adding that Democrats had spoken with one voice in rejecting that view. “We had a unanimous vote today to say that man is not doing a great job,” he said, remarks cited by the Post.

Blakeman, however, fired back, defending cooperation with federal immigration authorities. He argued that ICE partnerships have directly improved public safety in Nassau County and the surrounding region.