Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 10 a.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 3
Committee: Committee on Immigration
The Committee on Immigration held an oversight hearing examining the Executive Order 13 audit report on City agency compliance with sanctuary city laws, and heard Resolution 626 calling on the U.S. Senate to pass S.4814 to designate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status. Commissioner Faiza Ali of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs testified that agencies have made significant progress implementing audit recommendations, including updated reporting guidance, revised shelter protocols, and enhanced NYPD and DOC procedures. Council Members questioned the administration on the Interagency Response Committee's role, data sharing safeguards, and implementation timelines. Public testimony overwhelmingly supported stronger enforcement mechanisms, codification of protections through legislation like the New York City Trust Act, and restoration of TPS for Haiti.
0:12 With you ready okay I don't
0:12 know you ready okay okay good
0:27 morning welcome to today's
0:29 hearing from the committee on
0:31 immigration.
0:32 At this time I would like t
0:33 oremind everyone to silence our
0:35 electronic devices also at
0:36 this point going forward no
0:37 one is to approach the days if
0:39 you would like to sign up for
0:41 in person testimony please see
0:42 one of the sergeant at arms.
0:44 Cher we're ready to begin I
0:50 am calling this hearing t
0:52 oorder good morning everyone I
0:55 am Council Member Elsie
0:57 Encarnación deputy deputy whip
0:58 of the New York City Council
1:00 and chair of the committee on
1:02 immigration thank you all for
1:02 joining us today today we will
1:04 be examining the executive
1:06 order 13 of 20 26
1:09 . Report and audit findings
1:11 and.
1:11 Recommendations I'd like t
1:13 othank all of the
1:13 representatives from the
1:15 administration members of the
1:17 public and my council
1:18 colleagues who have joined
1:19 this here today including
1:23 Council Member.
1:23 New York City has a proud
1:25 legacy of restricting the use
1:27 of City time or property to
1:31 facilitate federal immigration
1:33 enforcement local laws enacted
1:34 by the council since 20 1
1:38 1have directed City resources
1:40 away from away from the
1:42 enforcement of xenophobic
1:44 federal immigration policies
1:46 and the agencies that
1:47 weaponized them these
1:49 safeguards ensure that the
1:50 City does not conduct civil
1:53 immigration enforcement and
1:55 that it instead upholds the
1:57 dignity of all residents of
1:59 our sanctuary City but laws
2:02 are only as good as their
2:04 enforcement and implementation
2:05 in late 2025 the cities
2:08 department of investigation
2:09 released two reports detailing
2:12 violations of the city's
2:14 detainer laws by the New York
2:16 City department police
2:18 department and the department
2:19 of correction.
2:20 Public reporting also
2:22 revealed that immigration and
2:24 custom enforcement had entered
2:25 New York City shelters armed
2:27 and without judicial warrants
2:30 at least five times in 20 2
2:33 5to be a true sanctuary City
2:36 are residents must trust that
2:36 the City will uphold its
2:38 extremely pleased when on
2:45 February 6 2026 the mom donny
2:48 administration issued
2:50 executive order 13 protecting
2:51 New York er's from abusive
2:54 immigration enforcement
2:55 . The eel required that the
2:56 the administration for
2:59 services department of
3:00 correction department of
3:01 health and mental hygiene
3:04 department of probation
3:05 department of social services
3:07 and the New York City police
3:09 department to ensure
3:11 compliance with all relevant
3:14 laws rules procedures
3:17 guidelines and reporting
3:18 requirements related to non
3:20 local immigration enforcement
3:24 the e o ordered the agencies
3:26 to immediately conduct a
3:27 review and audit all internal
3:30 policies guidelines and
3:32 protocols related to
3:36 communication cooperation and
3:37 coordination with non local
3:38 law enforcement agencies
3:40 charged with immigration
3:41 enforcement and submit a
3:42 report to the Mayor within 90
3:52 days
3:52 . Will refer to it as the irc
3:54 to coordinate and manage
3:57 policy response across
3:58 agencies for any crisis in the
3:59 City of New York on May 22 the
4:04 administration released the
4:04 executive order 13 audit
4:06 report of audit findings and
4:09 recommendations among other
4:10 findings the multi agency
4:12 order revealed that federal
4:13 immigration authorities had
4:15 intensified their targeting of
4:16 City shelters sharply
4:19 increased the issuance of
4:20 detain a request to nypd and
4:24 employed increasingly
4:25 aggressive and misleading
4:27 tactics the Mayor adopted
4:29 several agencies specific
4:31 recommendations to strengthen
4:32 policies and protocols t
4:33 orespond to the changing
4:35 landscape of federal
4:37 immigration enforcement the
4:38 administration stated that in
4:39 the coming months the City
4:42 would implement
4:43 recommendations from the audit
4:45 to strengthen protections for
4:46 immigrant New York er's the
4:48 administration also noted that
4:51 the irc would issue updated
4:53 citywide guidance and work
4:54 closely with agencies t
4:56 oimplement these policies and
4:59 protocol changes at this
5:00 hearing we will assess the
5:02 administration's
5:02 implementation of the
5:03 recommendations from the audit
5:05 and ascertain how the
5:06 administration intends t
5:09 ocommunicate its process
5:09 progress to the public.
5:10 We will question the Mayor
5:12 office of immigrant affairs
5:13 about its role on the irc the
5:17 timeline for issuing updated
5:19 citywide guidance and the
5:20 nature of the officers work
5:22 with agencies to implement the
5:23 policy and protocol changes
5:24 although it seeks to examine a
5:27 report of audit findings and
5:30 recommendations this hearing
5:31 is not merely an academic
5:34 exercise if properly
5:35 implemented enforced and
5:38 resource the recommendations
5:39 contained in this report would
5:41 be game changing for the
5:42 immigrant residents of our
5:43 . Our City this committee
5:45 takes our communities trust in
5:48 government and willingness t
5:50 oaccess City resources
5:51 extremely seriously and so we
5:52 understand the high stakes of
5:54 getting this right we are
5:56 holding this hearing today t
5:57 oensure that the administration
5:59 is is not the end of the work
6:01 to uphold the safety and well
6:02 being of our cities immigrant
6:05 population but rather that it
6:06 signifies the beginning of
6:07 that work.
6:08 Lastly the committee on
6:09 immigration will hear
6:11 resolution 6 2 6 sponsored by
6:14 council Farah lewis calling
6:16 upon the united states senate
6:17 to pass and the president t
6:20 osign s top 408 4 to require
6:23 the secretary of homeland
6:25 security to designate haiti
6:27 for temporary protective
6:29 status haiti has experienced a
6:29 great deal of instability
6:31 since the 2010 earthquak
6:35 eincluding an epidemic another
6:36 earthquake and tropical storm
6:38 . Ah I'm actually going to let
6:39 because I know you have a few
6:40 words on this so I'll let you
6:43 kind of get into the the
6:47 actual resolution and I am
6:49 also proud to co sponsor this
6:51 resolution and I think you
6:53 councilmember lewis for
6:53 introducing it I would also
6:55 like to thank the committee
6:56 staff for their work on this
6:58 hearing including senate
7:00 senior legislative counsel
7:02 nicole cotta senior
7:03 legislative policy analyst
7:04 rebecca barilla principal
7:06 financial analyst davey bains
7:07 and assistant finance director
7:10 florentine cobb or finally I
7:11 would like to thank my staff
7:13 especially my chief of staff
7:14 stephanie herrera and everyone
7:15 working behind the scenes t
7:17 omake this hearing run smoothlyg
7:23 sergeant at arms I will now
7:24 turn it over to councilmember
7:26 lewis for brief remarks on her
7:28 bill
7:29 . Thank you chair and canarsie
7:31 for your support of this
7:32 resolution and for convening
7:34 today's hearing good to see
7:36 you commissioner ali and I
7:36 want to thank some of the
7:37 advocates that are here today
7:39 the haitian american lawyers
7:41 association of New York you
7:42 have president rodney pepe
7:44 here and charlotte from 11 99.
7:46 I want to begin by saying
7:50 this plainly rezaul 626 is
7:52 personal to me haitian
7:54 americans to the broader black
7:56 diaspora in New York City and
7:57 to every friend and ally of
7:58 the haitian community I am a
8:01 proud haitian bohemian
8:03 american woman representing
8:04 one of the largest haitian
8:06 diaspora communities in the
8:08 united states in central
8:10 brooklyn when I speak about
8:13 tps recipients I'm not
8:15 speaking about statistics I'm
8:16 speaking about my neighbors my
8:18 constituents my family I want
8:20 to tell you about my cousin
8:21 his name was pierre richard
8:24 alloy in August 2024 richard
8:27 pierre richard was days away
8:29 from boarding a flight to New
8:31 York City he had just received
8:33 confirmation that he would be
8:35 granted temporary protected
8:36 status also known as tps word
8:38 got out to his community that
8:40 he was leaving
8:41 . And because he refused t
8:42 ojoin the barbecue gang they
8:45 murdered him 10 bullets in
8:47 front of his own home in front
8:48 of his family.
8:51 They held his body for
8:53 ransom and when and we have
8:56 seen haitian immigrants
8:58 subjected to electronic
8:59 monitoring and public
9:01 humiliation including the
9:03 deeply troubling case of
9:04 pierre De massa bell a young
9:07 haitian american sorry a young
9:09 haitian college student whose
9:10 family described the profound
9:12 distress he experienced after
9:14 being placed on an ankle
9:16 monitor simply for existing in
9:19 this country while seeking
9:22 safety
9:23 . These are not criminals
9:23 these are not these are our
9:25 families these are workers
9:27 these are our neighbors
9:29 . There are so many stories
9:31 like these
9:32 . So many families who
9:34 followed every roar did
9:35 everything right and still pay
9:37 it's literally life or deathle t
9:47 an estimated 350000 haitians
9:51 nationwide held tps 40000
9:53 right here in New York City
9:57 those protections allowed
9:58 people to work support their
10:00 families and build lives in
10:03 our communities today those
10:03 protections are now gone while
10:07 haiti remains consumed by gang
10:09 violence with people displaced
10:12 and facing food insecurity the
10:17 country our neighbors fled is
10:19 no no safer today it's
10:22 actually worse and the
10:24 consequences are being felt
10:25 right here in New York City in
10:28 ice arrested 919 people in New
10:32 York City nearly twice the
10:33 number just three months.
10:35 Prior more than three
10:37 quarters had no criminal
10:40 history.
10:41 None
10:42 . Mayor mom demy recognize
10:44 what is at stake convening his
10:46 third meeting with president
10:48 trump yesterday this time at
10:51 gracie mansion raising
10:52 directly how tp termination
10:55 has devastated several
10:57 industries in our City
10:59 including hospitality health
11:00 care and faith based
11:02 communities
11:02 . If the Mayor of New York
11:04 City is bringing this message
11:06 to the president the least we
11:08 can do is go on record and
11:10 support of restoring these
11:13 protections.
11:13 Haitian New yorkers are part
11:14 of the fabric of this City
11:16 they have cared for our
11:19 seniors staffed our hospitals
11:20 raise families and enriched
11:22 every borough they call home
11:24 they deserve to live with
11:26 dignity not in fear for peer
11:29 richard for every family that
11:30 has paid an unbearable price
11:34 they deserve tps for the 40000
11:37 tps recipients in New York
11:38 City who wake up every morning
11:41 wondering if today is the last
11:43 day here in the united states
11:46 is troubling
11:46 . I urge my colleagues t
11:48 osupport resolution 626 and
11:51 call on the united states
11:52 senate to pass and the
11:54 president to sign senate bill
11:57 s 4 8 14 thank you so much
12:00 Madam chair thank you and
12:00 thank you for introducing this
12:03 very important piece of
12:07 legislation and my condolences
12:09 to your family I went out to
12:10 run it over to the committee
12:12 counsel to administer the oath
12:13 before we hear from the
12:15 mayoral administration thank
12:16 you chair we will now hear
12:19 testimony from the
12:19 administration we will hear
12:21 from moya commissioner faiza
12:22 ali as well as lorena lucero
12:25 before we begin I will
12:26 administer the affirmation
12:27 panelist please raise your
12:28 right hand do you affirm t
12:29 otell the truth the whole truth
12:30 and nothing but the truth
12:32 before this committee and t
12:33 orespond honestly to council
12:35 member questions thank you
12:37 begin when ready
12:40 . Good morning and thank you
12:41 chair and carnation and
12:44 Council Member pharrell lewis
12:46 for the opportunity to testify
12:49 today my name is faisali and
12:50 I'm the commissioner for the
12:51 New York City mayor's office
12:53 of immigrant affairs since 1
12:56 989 New York city's sanctuary
12:57 status has been foundational
12:59 to the trust between our
13:00 immigrant communities and
13:02 local government our cities
13:03 local laws have helped
13:05 strengthen public health and
13:07 safety empower immigrant New
13:07 yorkers to access City
13:10 services and ensure that they
13:11 can participate meaningfully
13:12 in civic life that trust is
13:14 something that I've
13:16 experienced firsthand through
13:18 conversations with community
13:19 organizations on the ground
13:21 one on on one conversations
13:22 with immigrant leaders and
13:24 impacted families visits to
13:26 immigration court and
13:27 canvassing across the City.
13:28 Those experiences have made
13:30 clear to me that these
13:32 protections are not abstract
13:34 policies they shape whether
13:35 people feel safe going about
13:36 their daily lives
13:38 . For an immigrant newyorker
13:39 that can mean going to the t
13:40 othe hospital with confidence
13:42 knowing that there immigration
13:44 status does not determine
13:45 their ability to access care
13:47 it can mean entrusting are
13:49 their child to our public
13:51 schools knowing that City
13:53 resources and property cannot
13:55 be used for civil immigration
13:56 enforcement that assurance is
13:59 especially critical today as
14:01 increased activity by federal
14:03 immigration agencies has
14:04 heightened fear in immigrant
14:06 communities and disrupted the
14:07 lives of families and
14:09 neighbors.
14:09 Responsive government
14:11 requires us to continually
14:13 examine the processes and
14:14 safeguards we have in place t
14:17 oprotect New yorkers
14:18 . On February 6 2026 Mayor
14:20 mamdani signed executive order
14:23 13 directing six agencies a c
14:27 s dot doh hmm m h d and the
14:30 and the nypd to conduct
14:32 comprehensive audits of their
14:34 internal policies relating t
14:36 ointeractions with federal
14:37 immigration agencies update
14:39 protocols and guidance where
14:41 needed and identify
14:42 opportunities to strengthen
14:43 implementation of our local
14:46 laws limiting or barring City
14:48 agency participation in
14:49 federal civil immigration
14:51 enforcement New York City
14:52 health and hospitals
14:53 voluntarily agreed t
14:54 oparticipate in the audit and
14:56 while New York City public
14:57 schools was not included in 13 n
15:01 its own internal review
15:03 independent of the formal
15:04 audit process
15:05 . The executive order also