Thursday, June 11, 2026, 10:30 a.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 1
Committee: Committee on Immigration
The Committee on Immigration, chaired by Council Member Elsie Encarnación, met to vote on Introduction 55, the New York City Know Your Rights Act, sponsored by Council Member Alexa Avilés. The bill, previously heard on March 9, 2026, would require the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs to develop multilingual signage on constitutional rights and City agency obligations under local laws, require signage in non-public areas of City property, and direct the Department of Education to make available age-appropriate signage on school property access policies. Both the chair and the sponsor framed the bill as a response to federal immigration enforcement actions, including warrantless arrests. The bill was approved by the committee by a vote of five in the affirmative, none in the negative, with no abstentions.
0:13 Thank you. Good morning an
0:13 dwelcome to today's New York
0:14 City Council vote on the
0:16 committee of immigration at
0:17 this time during today's
0:19 hearing no 1 approach the dai
0:20 s.
0:21 Please sound electronic
0:23 devices chair you begin. Good
0:29 morning,
0:29 everyone I am Council Member
0:31 Elsie incarnation, deputy whi
0:32 pof the New York City Council
0:33 and chair of the committee on
0:35 immigration. Thank you to my
0:36 colleagues who have joined us
0:38 here today, a majority whip
0:43 Hanks Brewer. Thank you all
0:46 for being here.
0:47 Today. The committee will on
0:48 proposed introduction 55, a
0:50 sponsored by Council Member
0:52 Alexa Avilés in relation t
0:55 osignage, describing certain
0:55 local laws and no your rights
0:59 information the committee most
1:00 recently heard this bill on
1:03 March 9 2026 and receive
1:04 dample testimony and support of
1:08 the legislation
1:09 . We are witnessing a terribl
1:10 e, terrifying disregard of the
1:12 rights and protections that
1:13 are the foundation to the
1:15 inception of the united states
1:17 and immigrant communities are
1:19 being subjected to abusive and
1:21 rogue actions from the federal
1:25 immigration authorities since
1:26 the beginning of the secon
1:27 dtrump administration we have
1:28 seen credible federal
1:29 immigration authorities
1:30 conducting violent activity
1:32 and warrantless arrests, and
1:33 it was revealed that
1:35 immigration and customs
1:36 enforcement officers had been
1:37 following an internal policy
1:39 for months that said they did
1:41 not need a judicial warrant t
1:42 oenter our home and conduct
1:46 enforcement activity
1:47 . However, immigrants in the
1:48 united states, no matter their
1:49 immigration status, have a
1:51 guaranteed rights under the u.
1:53 S. Constitution and our City
1:55 agencies are widely prohibite
1:57 dfrom facilitating federal
1:59 immigration enforcement
2:00 overreach under our cities
2:03 local laws. It is our duty as
2:04 a City in the face of these
2:07 horrifying federal immigration
2:09 authority actions to reinforce
2:11 protections for immigrant
2:15 community.
2:15 This spill from council
2:16 member begins to do just that
2:18 it is imperative that
2:20 immigrant New yorkers and
2:21 their communities are aware of
2:23 the constitutional rights and
2:24 the obligation of the City
2:26 agencies under our local laws,
2:27 whether it is emphasizing the
2:30 policies around access to City
2:32 property and immigration
2:33 enforcement or disseminating
2:34 know your rights material this
2:36 bill would require the mayor's
2:37 office of immigrant affairs t
2:41 odevelop signage, including
2:42 this information and
2:44 translated into multiple
2:45 languages for our City
2:47 agencies to conspicuously
2:48 display this bill would also
2:50 require certain City agencies
2:52 to it areas of the City
2:54 property that are not public
2:56 and direct the department of
2:58 education to make available
2:59 age appropriate signage for
3:00 policies related to access t
3:04 oschool property and
3:05 participation and immigration
3:07 enforcement in the face of
3:09 lawlessness and violence. W
3:10 eare witnessing at the hands of
3:11 the federal immigration
3:14 authorities, this bill is an
3:15 important step for emphasizing
3:16 the protections afforded to
3:18 all New yorkers and empowering
3:20 our immigrants who deserve to
3:22 live in dignity without fear.
3:24 Thank you to Council Member of
3:25 for bringing this important
3:26 piece of legislation to our
3:30 committee. I also want t
3:30 othank our committee staff
3:31 ,senior legislative council in
3:34 kolkata senior policy analyst
3:36 rebecca barbara, principal
3:37 financial analyst navy, beans
3:38 and assistant fine director
3:42 florentine kabore, my teen,
3:43 deputy chief of staff
3:44 stephanie herrera, legislative
3:45 director adam bernstein and
3:47 everyone working behind the
3:48 scenes today to make this vote
3:50 on smoothly, including our
3:53 sergeant at arms and I know.
3:54 Turn it over to see mvila t
3:55 omake remarks on her leg
4:00 . Thank you so much everyone
4:02 today. I'm just really proud
4:04 to bring my bill intro 55 t
4:07 othe New York City and the New
4:08 York City. No. Your rights to
4:09 act to a vote the bill
4:12 requires as a chair, noted
4:14 moya to create and hang
4:16 signage on City property,
4:17 telling people about their
4:19 rights when engaging with
4:22 federal authorities. The bill
4:23 comes at a time at a critical
4:24 moment for a City and our
4:27 immigrant communities on
4:30 Tuesday
4:30 . The house added 70 billion
4:36 additional dollars
4:37 . Quadrupling the budget of
4:38 funding for isis to terrorize
4:43 our communities
4:43 . Earlier this week. Trump's
4:44 borders are a threatened again
4:47 to flood our City with ice
4:50 agents as federal agents
4:51 engage in these aggressive and
4:52 openly lawless activity, there
4:55 should be no ambiguity about
4:57 our City sank City loss clear
5:01 signe,ag nonpublic areas of
5:03 City property and detailing
5:04 the rights of both employees
5:07 and individuals in these
5:08 spaces will give individuals
5:11 the confidence and guidance
5:12 that they need to assert their
5:14 rights and stressful,
5:17 stressful situations, it will
5:18 ensure that our City protects
5:19 our immigrant neighbors rathe
5:19 rthan buckling before isis ruse
5:22 is and intimidation tactics.
5:24 I'm proud to push for thi
5:26 sbill in advance public
5:28 education around our rights.
5:30 However I know it will not be
5:33 enough, um, to protect New
5:34 yorkers. We must ensure that
5:37 funding for legal services is
5:39 baseline to and expanded, and
5:40 I urge my colleagues to fight
5:41 for that funding in this
5:43 year's budget. I thank the
5:44 chair for bringing this bill
5:46 ,this bill to a vote and urge
5:47 my colleagues to vote yes on
5:49 an intro 55, the New York cit
5:50 y. No. Your rights act
5:55 . Thank you, councilmember?
5:57 Abilass. Um, I recommend the
5:58 yes vote as well and acts the
5:59 clerk to call
6:01 . Roll. Thank you. Good
6:02 morning, william martin,
6:03 echair and canals I avilesvote
6:13 . I Brewer? Yes
6:16 , thanks. I congratulations,
6:22 Joseph. I with the boat of
6:23 five in the affirmative, zer
6:23 oin the negative and no
6:24 abstentions item has been
6:26 approved by the committee
6:27 Madam chair, that is a full
6:29 committee.
6:29 Thank you so much. Thank you
6:30 . Colleagues is here. Hearing
6:32 is