Several groups came together in Rochester on Wednesday to call for New York state to pass legislation protecting immigrants.

Organizations, including the New York Immigration Coalition, gathered in an effort to help pass the New York For All Act. 

If signed into law, the bill would prohibit local law enforcement and state agencies from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It would prohibit police officers, peace officers and school resource officers, among other agencies, from questioning individuals on their immigrant status, along with other disclosure regulations and prevent federal enforcement activity on nonpublic state and local property without a judicial warrant.

The New York For All Act has failed to pass the state Legislature for the last four years.

The bill has run into stiff opposition from Republican lawmakers like state Sen. Patrick Gallivan, who argue that if law enforcement becomes aware that someone is breaking the law, they should report it.

“If it's a state law, obviously it's for them to enforce, but if it's a federal statute, I think our law enforcers have an obligation to reach out to partners in federal government and pass that information along,” Gallivan said in 2024. “We were critical law enforcement at at every level for living and working in silos after Sept. 11 and it made us and our country, and our citizens vulnerable.”

Recent numbers from the federal Department of Homeland Security show ICE arrests have increased 627% since President Donald Trump took office in January.