Westchester Coalition Launches C.A.R.E. Movement for Immigrant Families

On Feb. 19, 2026, a coalition of groups gathered in Larkin Plaza in downtown Yonkers to announce a suite of initiatives before the New York State Legislature designed to respond to the growing needs of undocumented individuals. These communities face historic levels of immigration enforcement from the Trump administration. As horns honked in support from passing cars and Beeline buses and collective chants and speeches echoed out between the buildings downtown, advocates for the Campaign for Access, Representation, and Equity for Immigrant Families (CARE4IF or CARE coalition) made their case.

New York has experienced some of the sharpest increases in ICE activity in the U.S. According to a report by CARE coalition member organization, the New York Immigration Coalition, between January and July of 2025, 74% of arrests by ICE were of people from Central and South America, even though only 24% of New York's immigrant population have roots in these regions. An investigation analyzing ICE detention data by NYFocus reveals 2,800 people arrested and detained in upstate county jails during that same time period, up from 500 in all of 2024.

With an estimated 330,000 cases before immigration courts, the coalition is working to ensure that the best outcomes aren’t only a possibility for those with the most resources.

Although "with liberty and justice for all" is a foundational American ideal enshrined in the Pledge of Allegiance, the constitutional right to representation in court is only for citizens. It’s now a rallying point for the CARE coalition, a group of non-profit organizations, activists, and state legislators trying to make the sentiment a permanent reality for all in New York state, regardless of legal status, since immigration courts do not provide government attorneys.

“With attacks from the federal government showing no signs of slowing down, immigrant New Yorkers will only have a fighting chance to prevail against this administration in immigration proceedings if they have quality legal representation of their own,” said Jahaira Roldan, Manager of Organizing and Strategy for the New York Immigration Coalition.

In January, Governor Kathy Hochul released her the 2027 preliminary budget proposal, which currently allocates $74 million for legal services for immigration court proceedings. But organizers say that's not enough to face ICE. The CARE coalition is advocating for $175 million for the fund and passage of three new laws.

“Passing the New York for All Act, the Access to Representation Act, and the BUILD Act, and investing $175 million in immigration legal services, would create permanent protections for all New Yorkers. Together, these measures would keep local resources focused on serving New Yorkers first and ensure that everyone in immigration court has a fair chance to defend themselves and maintain their rights to due process. By acting now, our leaders in Albany can send a clear message that our state will not be complicit in Trump’s cruel deportation agenda, and we will choose dignity, safety, and justice for all families,” Roldan said.

A Path to Justice

The risks undocumented community members face are similar to those that anyone can face, regardless of legal status. The difference for the undocumented is the ability to get help when things go wrong, but the additional protections that the CARE coalition is campaigning for could make relief a reality.

Melanie Zamenhof, Esq., Senior Staff Attorney, with the Neighbors Link Community Law Practice, spoke at the rally and shared the complex nature of these cases. “We are first and foremost a response team, and we’ve had a lot to respond to over the past year,” she said. Zamenhof described the case of José, who has not returned to Mexico since he left two decades ago and has been robbed and assaulted multiple times without any institution to turn to due to fear of deportation.

Two of the incidents were so severe that José finally took steps to officially report them to the police. “Even in the face of trauma, José fully cooperated with law enforcement and continues to assist in the efforts to hold those responsible accountable.” Zamenhof explained how this “act of courage” made him eligible for a U-Visa, a pathway to legal documentation for undocumented victims who are helpful in the fight against human trafficking and other serious crimes.

These types of programs that serve as a pathway to legal status, but they require dedicated legal representation to navigate because any procedural missteps can invalidate a case, which can take 10 years to resolve. “The U-Visa process is difficult to navigate, even further so when our government is weaponizing the judicial system,” Zamenhof said. “I know that when we went to law school, this is not what we signed up for, but I confidently feel that we are some of the only people with the power to stop it,” she said. “Our community is only safe when all residents are safe.”

The CARE4IF movement is advocating for permanent solutions. The Building Up Immigrant Legal Defense Act would provide financial resources to help organizations like Neighbors Link increase staff capacity to meet the moment and enable institutional support for vulnerable undocumented residents. New York For All would prevent residents like José from having to disclose their immigration status to institutions when seeking help. And the Access to Representation Act would guarantee legal representation to low-income immigrants, which isn’t required by the U.S. Constitution for immigration courts. Organizers believe this bundle of laws will help the state lead the nation in combating federal attempts to overwhelm the legal system by “flooding the zone” with immigration policy changes.

Community Terror and the Pretense for “Ethnic Cleansing”

Although no local elected Yonkers or Westchester County officials attended the rally, state representatives showed up to address the crowd and pledge their support for the CARE movement’s proposals in Albany. State Senator Shelley Mayer, Assemblymembers Chris Burdick, and Nader Sayegh spoke at the event, but State Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky had the most dire warning about the nation’s direction under Trump.

“We know what these people are about. They are now feeling free to say the quiet part out loud,” Shimsky said, speaking bluntly about the federal efforts to destabilize communities of color, the $38 billion allocated to purchase warehouses, first reported by the Washington Post, and convert them into detention centers filled with the undocumented, documented, and citizens alike. The legislator warned against the claims that immigrants are a so-called “danger to Western civilization.” “This is the beginning of large-scale ethnic cleansing in this country. This is the biggest moral imperative of the next couple of years. We have to shut this down,” she said. The small crowd erupted in boos.

"Our state will not be complicit in Trump’s cruel deportation agenda, and we will choose dignity, safety, and justice for all families."

- Jahaira Roldan, New York Immigration Coalition

Yonkers, Port Chester, Peekskill, Mount Kisco, and other communities have all had ICE incidents in recent months, which have had a chilling effect that ripples throughout entire neighborhoods.

“Every day, we receive phone calls and text messages stating that they hear that ICE is in the community. These families get paralyzed at the thought of ICE being nearby,” said Silvia Falcon from Community Resource Center, speaking on the daily fear she witnesses. “They hesitate to go to work or even take their children to school,” she said. “We want to make sure that legal representation is essential when immigrants encounter the immigration system. No one should face detention or deportation alone.”