Brooklyn, New York – Senator Julia Salazar released the following statement: 

“On this Fourth of July, many Americans are haunted by fear and uncertainty as the Trump administration's agenda jeopardizes our democracy and civil rights. Yesterday, I spent the day with advocates and fellow elected officials at Federal Plaza's immigration court, seeking to intervene as ICE agents escalated their attacks against our immigrant neighbors. Masked agents abducted New Yorkers outside their court hearings, disregarding each person's case status and due process. I met a young man who mistakenly believed he wouldn’t be kidnapped by ICE because he'd brought his legal paperwork that even Trump's Secretary of Homeland Security, through her television ads, implied would make him safe from being taken. I once again witnessed firsthand how fascism is threatening our country.  While my colleagues and I were trying to protect our constituents from ICE, Republicans in Washington passed the most vile and destructive bill we could imagine. This bill is the single biggest transfer of wealth from millions of working Americans to a handful of billionaires who already have the most. More than 1.5 million New Yorkers who rely on Medicaid will lose their health care. More than 360,000 children in our state could go hungry. In the State Senate, I will continue to fight for a future where New Yorkers have good health care, can afford dignified housing, and aren’t being disappeared by a government that’s supposed to protect them from harm.”