Wall Street Journal - New York Lawmakers Divided Over Sanctuary Bill

ALBANY—A legislative push to add protections for illegal immigrants has divided Democrats, revealing some fractures in the party as it navigates how to respond to President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The state Assembly passed a bill last week that would give New York so-called “sanctuary state” status, shielding illegal immigrants in many of their dealings with state and local governments from federal law-enforcement agencies that might deport them.

The measure passed narrowly, 77-61 in a chamber of 106 Democrats and 43 Republicans, with some legislators not present. Its chance of passing the more politically mixed state Senate is far from clear.

The legislation is being pushed by Democrats and generally is opposed by Republicans. But even within the Democratic Party, differences on the issue have emerged as some lawmakers question if this is the right way to counter Mr. Trump’s moves overhauling immigration policies.

Scarsdale Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, a Democrat, said the bill has “laudable goals.” But she voted against it, concerned, she said, that its language is so broad it would shield even convicted rapists and human traffickers from federal law-enforcement agencies.

Even in New York, where Democrats hold a registration advantage, there are geographic divides.

Mr. Trump, a Republican, carried Democratic Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi’s Oneida County area in the 2016 election, and Mr. Brindisi voted last week against the sanctuary state bill.

Mr. Brindisi’s Utica district is a designated refugee resettlement area. The assemblyman opposes Mr. Trump’s moratorium on refugees but said the sanctuary state bill wouldn’t help resolve that. “Overall, upstate, there is some concern over immigration, which is why Trump won so many upstate communities,” he said.

Democrats who support the proposal are expected to begin making an aggressive push this week to bring the sanctuary state bill to a vote in the state Senate, framing it as a referendum from Mr. Trump’s home state on what they describe as his draconian policies. Mr. Trump has said better enforcement of immigration law is needed to protect jobs for Americans and keep foreign criminals and terrorists out of the country.

Jose Serrano the Manhattan Democrat sponsoring the legislation in the Senate, said the bill “has strong provisions to insure that violent criminals are not protected” and is designed to help immigrants report crimes against them and use local services such as hospitals and schools.

“This is a humanitarian issue rooted in nonpartisan ideals,” Mr. Serrano said. “This nation is a sanctuary for those fleeing oppression, and if we have a president who’s not willing to protect the vast majority of law-abiding new immigrants here, than we, as a state, need to step up.”

Mr. Trump has vowed to strip sanctuary cities of federal funding, saying they are making citizens less safe and violating federal law.

Democrats have a one-person numerical majority in the New York state Senate, but a bipartisan coalition and a Republican leader, Sen. John Flanagan, run the chamber. Mr. Flanagan, who represents Long Island, said recently there are “problems associated with the bill.”

The left-leaning Working Families Party has put blame on the nine rogue Democrats who are allied with the GOP for empowering a Republican leader who may not bring the measure to a vote, though eight of the nine breakaway Democrats support the legislation. But Democrats in more conservative districts could doom its passage if it comes to the Senate floor.

Sen. Simcha Felder, a conservative Brooklyn Democrat who is often a swing vote on contentious issues, said he has “no position yet” on the sanctuary state bill. An aide to Sen. George Latimer, a Westchester Republican, said the office is reviewing the bill and doesn’t have a position on it yet either.

More conservative states around the country are pushing legislation to defund sanctuary cities. Similar legislation passed the GOP-led New York state Senate last year but has stalled in the Democrat-led Assembly.

Several New York municipalities already are considered sanctuary cities, including New York City.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has come out in support of the sanctuary state bill, while Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a fellow Democrat, expressed caution. “We have to review the bill because exactly what a sanctuary state is a little ambiguous,” he said.