New Yorkers to Gov. Hochul: Protect Immigrants. Tax the Rich. Make Polluters Pay.

Nearly 1,000 advocates from the immigration, economic, and climate justice movements unite around a shared demand: Gov. Hochul must defend New York and fund our future

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Albany, NY — Nearly 1,000 statewide coalition members from the immigration, economic, and climate justice movements joined Invest in Our New York, Make the Road New York, NY Renews, and state legislative champions Tuesday for a rally and press conference. These diverse movements united around a single, shared demand: Gov. Kathy Hochul must deliver a budget that defends New Yorkers against predatory ICE agents, billionaires, and polluters, and makes permanent investments in our state’s future.

Donald Trump and his allies have dismantled climate regulations, emboldened ICE to kidnap and disappear our neighbors, and stolen billions of dollars from New Yorkers’ food and healthcare assistance, all so they can hand their millionaire and billionaire friends a giant tax break. Hundreds of New Yorkers from both upstate and downstate — including Rochester, Syracuse, Long Island, New York City, the Hudson Valley, and Gov. Hochul’s hometown of Buffalo — urged the governor to stand up for their communities.

This year’s state budget is a critical opportunity for legislators to defend New York and invest in our future. They must protect New Yorkers from federal cuts and fully fund public programs and services, including universal childcare, by passing the Invest in Our New York package to ensure the wealthiest New Yorkers pay their fair share in taxes. They must pass the New York for All Act, which would broadly prevent state and local police from enforcing federal immigration laws and limit information-sharing with ICE and CBP. And they must create an ongoing revenue system to power climate and clean-energy projects across the state by pushing the governor to launch our state’s long-overdue cap-and-invest program, the Clean Air Initiative.

Corporations and the ultra-wealthy benefit the most from New York’s rigged tax system, violent ICE arrests, and irreversible climate damage. Gov. Hochul is protecting them by refusing to tax the very rich and threatening to roll back New York’s climate law. This powerful cross-movement coalition urged legislators to fight for every cent of progressive revenue in this year’s budget — and demanded that the governor stand up for a New York that is sustainable, affordable, and safe for all, not just billionaires and big corporations. 

"We know that New York can have truly universal child care: a system that meets the needs of all families and pays educators thriving wages. We live in one of the wealthiest states in the nation. We can have fully funded schools, affordable housing, health care and more. If our state leaders want New York State to be a place where families want to be, we need to put our money where our mouth is, and raise taxes on the ultra wealthy. Without investing in the workforce, universal child care becomes nothing more than a sound bite," said Marina Marcou-O'Malley, Co-Executive Director of the Alliance for Quality Education.

"New Yorkers are constantly being told that we have to choose between investing in renewable energy, funding legal services for immigrants, building affordable housing, or keeping rural hospitals open. These are all false choices. New York would have more than enough resources to meet our needs if lawmakers in Albany could muster the political courage to make the ultra-rich and wealthy corporations pay their fair share," said Xaver Kandler, Political Director at For the Many. "Our state is home to more billionaires than anywhere else in the world — and we have a widening wealth gap to prove it. By passing common sense tax reforms, Albany could raise more than $45 billion to invest in the solutions our communities are demanding, from lowering utility bills and meeting our climate goals to protecting vital services that everyday people depend on. The question before Governor Hochul and the legislature is simple: will they deliver for New Yorkers, or continue protecting billionaires' wealth?"

“Working-class New Yorkers struggling to afford rent, groceries, healthcare and childcare are desperate for bold solutions — and they overwhelmingly support making the ultra-wealthy and most profitable corporations pay their fair share in taxes. It is time for the governor to listen to her constituents, not her corporate donors,” said Invest in Our New York Campaign Manager Brahvan Ranga. “Gov. Hochul has the power to create a more equitable New York — she just needs to muster up the political will. Legislators must hold the line on progressive revenue and push the governor to deliver a budget that works for all New Yorkers, not just millionaires, billionaires and CEOs.”

Maria, a Long Island mother and member of Make the Road New York, shared, “I live in Suffolk County, where there is no protection for immigrants like there is in the city. My daughter and I are afraid to go out on the street. We think twice before going to the store because we don't know if it will be the last time we are together. We have heard of ICE presence on the first day of high school at Brentwood High School, and of raids near Southside Hospital, close to our home. The New York for All Act would help protect families like mine by establishing clear boundaries between state agencies and the enforcement of federal immigration laws. It would end 287(g) agreements, designate places like schools and hospitals as sensitive locations that ICE cannot enter, and much more. Protections for New Yorkers across the state are long overdue. It’s time to finish the job and pass New York for All now.” 

“As New Yorkers struggle with climbing energy bills thanks to corporate utilities' endless quest for profits, asthma and pollution-related diseases, and federal cuts to climate programs, Governor Hochul seems set on giving the ultra-wealthy and big corporations a free pass,” said NY Renews Executive Director Stephan Edel. “The Governor is buying into Trump’s fear-mongering about the cost of the clean energy transition when cheap, fast, and effective renewable energy options like solar energy are available here and now. Governor Hochul: Do not roll back any part of NY’s climate law. After years of delay, we’re calling on you to actually implement the law, which would help lower our energy bills, release our dependence on volatile fossil fuels, make corporate polluters pay, protect environmental justice communities, and build out the clean energy economy New Yorkers deserve if we stand a chance of a livable future.”

“Kathy Hochul, the Democratic leader of New York State, is acting like a lap dog for the one percent, protecting the corporate interests of the same fossil fuel industry whose pollution is responsible for these climate crises in the first place. This is right-wing behavior from our Democratic governor,” said Dawn Wells-Clyburn, Executive Director of PUSH Buffalo. “Implementing the Climate Law equitably and swiftly remains the clearest path forward to an affordable, healthy, renewable energy-based economy and energy system that works for PUSH Buffalo's members and frontline communities. New Yorkers are way overdue for a just transition. Governor Hochul needs to follow the law to make polluters pay, ensure affordable energy for all, and stop corporate greed." 

“Families all across the state of New York deserve clean air to breathe, safe communities to live in, and the security of knowing they can afford food, housing, and healthcare for their loved ones. As the proud representative of the families of the 78th Assembly District, I join my colleagues today in calling for a state budget that truly reflects our values and protects the people we serve. At a time when federal actions threaten our climate progress, immigrant communities, and vital public programs, New York must step up and lead. By asking the wealthiest New Yorkers to finally pay their fair share, we can invest in universal childcare, defend our immigrant neighbors, and build a more sustainable and affordable future for all,” said Assemblymember George Alvarez.

Assemblymember Emily Gallagher said, "New York is facing converging threats — immigrant New Yorkers are being snatched off the street by masked vigilantes; Trump budget cuts are threatening life-saving services like healthcare and SNAP; and, just as the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent, our state is seemingly giving up on even trying to meet our climate goals. We can and must do better. We can protect New Yorkers today and in the future by taxing the rich, passing strong protections for immigrant New Yorkers, and fully implementing our climate law. These things are not in conflict with one another. We must do all of them if we want to continue to be a state where people can live dignified, healthy, safe lives."

“Climate justice and immigrant justice are deeply connected. The same systems that allow fossil fuel corporations to pollute our communities and drive climate chaos are the ones that turn around and criminalize the very people displaced by those crises. Around the world, climate-fueled droughts, storms, and environmental destruction are forcing people to migrate from their homes and countries — and instead of responding with compassion and justice, we see governments responding with detention, deportation, and militarized borders. Immigration is natural. The climate crisis is not. Here in New York, we have a responsibility to lead differently. We must confront the climate emergency by making polluters pay and investing in a sustainable future, while also protecting the dignity and safety of immigrant families who are an essential part of our communities. That means fully funding climate solutions and passing policies like the New York for All Act that prevent our state resources from being used to fuel cruel detention and deportation pipelines. Climate justice means protecting the people most impacted by this crisis — and that includes immigrant communities here at home and those forced to move because of a warming planet,” said Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas.

“New York was never meant to be governed for the comfort of the powerful. It was meant to serve the dignity and well-being of the people. When corporations profit from detention centers and pollution while refusing to pay their fair share, government cannot remain neutral,” said Senator Robert Jackson. “The path forward is clear: tax the rich, defend our communities, protect our climate, and ensure that the future of this state is shaped not by billionaires and polluters, but by the people who call New York home.”

Senator John Liu said, "As New York faces unprecedented cuts and threats from the Trump White House, we must deliver a budget that commits to long-term investments in our state’s future, protects immigrant communities, the environment, and ensures the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share. Many thanks to Make the Road, Invest in Our New York, NY Renews, and all the advocates fighting for a New York that is sustainable, affordable, and safe for all."

"New York is one of the wealthiest states in the nation, yet we are home to the deepest economic inequality. For too long, our state’s budget has been balanced on the backs of working families in Rochester and across New York while the ultra-wealthy and giant corporations enjoy record-breaking profits and federal tax handouts. We are told there isn't enough for universal childcare, affordable housing, or our schools, but the truth is, there is a scarcity of political courage, not a scarcity of resources. By passing the Invest in Our New York package, we choose to fund our future instead of protecting billionaires. It is time to make the super-rich pay their fair share so every New Yorker has the foundation they need to thrive," said Assemblymember Demond Meeks.

“Billionaires, polluters, and fascists are running our federal government, and New York State has a responsibility to fight back. My district sent me to Albany with a mandate to tax the rich, build 100% renewable energy, and protect our immigrant neighbors. That’s why in my first month in office, I’ve introduced legislation to increase taxes on corporations, rallied to defend our climate laws, and co-sponsored the New York For All Act,” Assemblymember Diana Moreno said. “But defending New York from Trump’s attacks will take more than any one state legislator can accomplish. New Yorkers must continue organizing to demand that Governor Hochul and the state legislature step up in this moment of crisis.”

Assemblymember Steven Raga said, “New Yorkers deserve a state budget that protects our communities, lowers costs for working families, and meets the urgency of this moment. That means passing the New York for All Act so immigrant New Yorkers are protected and our public institutions are never used as tools for detention and deportation. It means fully advancing the Invest in Our New York package, because we are not going to build a safer, more affordable state by cutting services or asking working people to do more with less — we are going to do it by taxing the rich and making the biggest corporations pay their fair share. It also means making polluters pay by moving forward with New York’s Clean Air Initiative. This budget must show that Albany is ready to stand with working families and immigrant communities, not the billionaires and corporate interests that have had their thumb on the scale for far too long.”

"New York is home to the highest concentration of wealth in the country, yet our tax system coddles the ultra-wealthy and leaves working class New Yorkers footing the bill. I’m so proud to sponsor bill S1439 to impose a fair tax on income from long-term capital gains for the top 1%. We need to make New York a great place to live for all New Yorkers — not just billionaires. I urge Governor Hochul to include this bill and other revenue-raising bills in the state’s budget and make the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share," said Senator Gustavo Rivera.

"From barbaric ICE raids, to the rollback of climate protections, to the tax breaks given to the wealthy at the expense of working-class people, New Yorkers are under constant threats from the Trump administration," said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal. "With just weeks until our state budget deadline, we have an opportunity to fight back against this cruel federal administration and deliver policies that will benefit everyday New Yorkers and fund our future. Our final budget must include the Invest in Our New York package to ensure the wealthiest among us pay their fair share, the New York for All Act to combat cruel deportation efforts, and bold investments in the Sustainable Future Program to fight back against climate change."

“The progress we have made to promote the well-being of all New Yorkers is under threat from federal policies that defund our health care, roll back pollution standards, and instill fear among law-abiding people in their communities,” said Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky. “But the state can counteract some of the worst of these impacts. I urge Governor Hochul to support the New York for All Act and Invest in Our New York package, limit greenhouse gas pollution, and invest in the Sustainable Future Program. These initiatives provide a blueprint for how we can help our residents to thrive here in the months and years to come.”

“The climate crisis is a direct outcome of a racist, capitalist economy that consolidates resources and power in the hands of a few, wages forever wars for oil, destabilizes countries from where people are forced to migrate, and exploits not only our water, air, and soil, but also the labor of the working class.  The only way to beat fascism is by institutionalizing solidarity through policies  that collectively improve the quality of life for everyone — and that includes protecting immigrants, taxing the rich, and investing in clean and affordable energy as a matter of public good,” said Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha.

"As New Yorkers, we know our state’s strength comes from the people who live and work here every day,” said Senator Toby Ann Stavisky. “At a time when federal policies threaten our climate progress, our safety nets, and the dignity of immigrant communities, New York must step up. Our state budget should reflect our values: fairness, responsibility, and shared prosperity.”

“Our state is facing a climate crisis and an affordability crisis — and we know these are tied together. It’s corporate greed that is driving up our utilities, displacing our neighbors, and poisoning our environment. Governor Hochul has a choice: she can stand with New York’s working families or she can take the side of the wealthy few. It’s time we tax the rich,” said Assemblymember Claire Valdez.

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