Capital Region lawmakers are among the more than 500 state legislators across the country to release a joint statement decrying the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents. The statement in response to the Minnesota killings comes as the magnitude of the Immigration Customs and Enforcement operations in the Capital Region is unknown.
This month, two 37-year-olds – Renee Good and Alex Pretti – were shot and killed at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis, sparking national outcry.
Now, state lawmakers across the country, including those in New York’s Capital Region, are adding their voices in support of a growing sentiment that the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown is out of control.
Speaking at a press conference in the New York State Capitol Wednesday, 46th District State Sen. Pat Fahy read an excerpt from the national statement, which has garnered signatures from lawmakers in 48 states.
“We are stepping into extraordinarily dangerous territory in this country and reaching an unimaginable point where ICE agents and border patrol agents have twice within one month killed U.S. Citizens on camera while the federal government, particularly the Trump administration is telling us not to believe our eyes,” Fahy said.
The statement, signed only by Democrats, demands that ICE and U.S. Border Patrol leave Minnesota immediately.
And while New York lawmakers are calling for a full and independent investigation into the deaths of Good and Pretti, ICE is already operating in their backyard.
In December, four members of the Albany-based Bakhtani family were taken by ICE outside of a mosque on Central Ave.
According to Fahy, the scope of the federal agency’s operations in the Capital Region is unknown.
“Right now, too much of this is anecdotal and we are relying on a lot of advocacy groups to do the legal work and more,” Fahy said.
Fahy said the Department of Homeland Security releases intermittent reports detailing ICE’s actions.
But she questions the validity of those reports.
“There are some public records, but we are relying on a very unreliable agency and that is Department of Homeland Security,” Fahy said.
The senator has introduced the Reporting Arrests Detentions Actions and Removals by Immigration Enforcement Act, which would create a public, online dashboard to disclose data on ICE activity across New York state.
Fahy said legislators have been relying on the work of nonprofit organizations like the New York State Immigration Coalition for information on the federal agency’s actions.
The New York State Immigration Coalition did not reply to a request by airtime.
Sen. Michelle Hinchey, of the 41st District, said community reports on ICE activity typically come too late, especially in rural areas.
“They are mostly under the radar, and the challenge is, especially in more rural areas, you hear about it after the fact. And so you can’t mobilize as quickly as you can mobilize in a city, so we have to pass things where we require them to communicate where they are,” Hinchey said.
Earlier this week, Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs added her voice to the national outcry that has come in the aftermath of Good and Pretti’s deaths.
Applyrs, who took over as mayor at the beginning of the year, posted a statement on social media that said in part, “the federal government’s response to public opposition on the ground in Minneapolis has emboldened tactics that are escalating tensions rather than reducing harm.” The statement said there is a “broader demand for accountability and change in how federal immigration actions are conducted.”
Applyrs did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
Even while the question of how large ICE’s operations are in the Capital Region has not yet been accurately answered, Assemblywoman Gabriella Romero, of the 109th District, says there is evidence enough to say that ICE operations in the Capital Region have grown.
“We can say anecdotally, though, that ICE has increased in the Capital District,” Romero said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
