Immigrants deserve to be treated with dignity and their human rights respected. Regardless of their immigration status, everyone in Brooklyn has guaranteed rights under the U.S. Constitution, which must be honored, even by law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Yet, our communities are in crisis due to abductions, mass deportations, disregard for the rule of law, violent attacks on law-abiding protesters, as well as denials of due process, legal representation, and other constitutional rights.

Local governments must respond to this trauma with bold actions producing meaningful changes, which are grounded in transparency of process, accountability for ICE/CBP, and equitable treatment for persons subject to detention and deportation.  New Kings Democrats (NKD) recognizes that achieving meaningful change on immigration policy and defending New Yorkers from ICE/CBP is essential to the defense of our democracy and therefore advocates for policies that counter the current administration’s cruel actions and promote the rights of immigrants.

NKD will ask all candidates seeking its support for elective office for commitments to opposing and holding ICE/CBP accountable and supporting individuals attacked, detained, or deported.

NKD will:

• Include at least one question on curtailing ICE/CBP in every candidate questionnaire.

• Request that every candidate seeking NKD’s endorsement for federal elective office define how they would oppose immigration enforcement acts of the current administration and expand pathways to citizenship for non-citizens.

• Request that every candidate seeking NKD’s endorsement for state or city elective office define how they would prevent local employees and resources from being used to collude or coordinate with ICE/CBP.

• Support candidates who act with urgency and personally participate to expose cruel detention tactics and protest ICE/CBP actions.

• Ask candidates about actions they have taken to create meaningful change, with the expectation that candidates can demonstrate an understanding of the urgency of the immigration crisis, as well as a track record of protecting the right to protest.

• Encourage the Kings County Democratic Party to actively engage local communities and support legislation that limits the ability of ICE/CBP to conduct illegal, deceptive, or violent operations in Brooklyn.

More broadly, NKD will support immigration policies and legislation that: 

• Abolish ICE in its current form.

• Prohibit police and government employees from colluding or coordinating with ICE/CBP, sharing resources with ICE/CBP, or diverting local resources to aid a federal deportation. 

• Prohibit ICE/CBP from conducting deportations in public facilities, such as courtrooms, as well as government buildings, private businesses, hospitals, schools, and places of worship.

• Establish criminal and civil causes of action for ICE/CBP officials who violate laws, engage in deceptive conduct, invade private spaces, or commit acts of violence.

• Protect the legal statuses of individuals legally resident in New York, including DACA recipients, international students, and persons subject to asylum claims.  Oppose denaturalization proceedings.

• Administrative proceedings related to asylum should not be fast tracked, respondents should be given due process and full consideration of the merits of their claim.

• Oppose the denial of immigration applications on the basis of the use of public benefits as a determining factor.

• Reduce and eliminate the potential for immigration-related detentions. Support persons subject to detention and willing to disclose their gender to be detained alongside persons of the same gender rather than biological sex.

• Prevent children from being subject to removal and ensure that children are not separated from their parents or guardians, and families are not deported.

• Defend the rights of protesters to peacefully protest against ICE/CBP and in support of immigrant rights.

• Ensure New York residents are not denied housing access vouchers based on immigration status.

• Ensure the right to counsel is available in legal proceedings in immigration court.

Our elected leaders must act now to protect New Yorkers from the violence, lawlessness, and carnage of ICE/CBP.  NKD expects candidates for office to understand the urgency of the situation and avoid caving in to special interests seeking to curtail peaceful protests or create buffer zones. Laws and policy proposals should be evaluated based on their ability to generate meaningful change, as opposed to laws that accomplish technical achievements, e.g. body cameras, but do not actually change how ICE is conducting their operations. The basic human rights of the residents of Kings County must be defended as the top priorities for current policy and legislation.

Adopted July 2026.