ALBANY, NY (Erie News Now)--ADVOCATES are CALLING FOR THE PASSAGE OF A FEW BILLS THEY FEEL WILL HELP IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES.

“No one is illegal on stolen land. Stop supporting our criminalization and pass New York for All now,” said Dawedo Sanon, an advocate and community organizer.  

THE NEW YORK FOR ALL ACT INTENDS TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE USE OF STATE AND LOCAL RESOURCES BY LIMITING STATE AND LOCAL RESOURCES FOR IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES.  

THIS IS ONE OF SEVERAL BILLS ADVOCATES RALLIED FOR IN ALBANY. ANOTHER BILL CALLED THE ACCESS TO REPRESENTATION ACT INTENDS TO ESTABLISH RIGHT TO LEGAL COUNSEL IN IMMIGRATION COURT.  

SOME DEMOCRATS SAid AT A TIME WHEN PROGRESS SEEMS NONEXISTENT FROM FEDERAL LEADERS ON IMMIGRATION POLICY, IT’S UP TO THE STATE TO TAKE ACTION.  

“Making sure that we are allowing them to not only exist but thrive in New York,” said Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-13th Senate District).

MANY ADVOCATES ALSO EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT ANTI-IMMIGRATION RHETORIC STATEMENTS THEY’VE HEARD FROM STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS.  

SEN. RAMOS SAid AS A DAUGHTER OF IMMIGRANT PARENTS SHE SEES HER ROLE AS A STATE SENATOR TO BE A BRIDGE in between THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE WHO WERE BORN IN THE UNITED STATES.  

“I thank God every day that we’re in the super majority because if we had the xenophobes from the Republican super minority in the majority, we would be in a much worse place than we are today,” she said.  

SOME REPUBLICAN LEADERS DENY MAKING ANTI-IMMIGRANT STATEMENTS AND ARGUEd IT IS NOT THE STATE’S RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE ON THE COST OF THE MIGRANT CRISIS.  

“I think we ought to take care of New Yorkers, our citizens first. No one’s necessarily saying they’re against migrants, the problem is this is a federal government issue, the federal government refuses to stand up,” said Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R-Assembly District 120).