Fighting for New York immigrants as new federal attacks loom

On November 6, the day after Donald Trump was reelected president of the U.S. – a win partly based on promises to conduct the biggest mass deportation of immigrants in American history  – New York Immigration Coalition president and CEO Murad Awawdeh released a statement reading: "The election results are sobering, but our movement for immigrant justice in New York is not backing down without a fight … now is the time for local elected officials to stand up to protect our immigrant neighbors for the stability of NYS' economy and communities."

But even if New York state passes measures to further strengthen its existing status as a sanctuary for immigrants – those both authorized to be here and undocumented – Awawdeh and his roughly 90 colleagues at NYIC, which has offices throughout the state, may have their work cut out for them. Yes, the organization fought back hard against the anti-immigrant efforts of the first Trump administration, but Trump returns to the White House in just a few days with a stronger, more loyalist-backed sense of what he wants to do. And even though New York City law prohibits law enforcement from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency still ultimately has the power to raid workplaces and even homes if it has a judicial warrant. 

New York Nonprofit Media spoke with Awawdeh, who has helmed NYIC nearly five years now, about how his organization is re-girding its loins for potential new attacks, the most important skill he thinks he's acquired since he started as an organizer, and how he at least hopes to maintain his self-care in the likely challenging years ahead.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Thanks for talking to us today, Murad. If we met at a party and I asked you to explain NYIC, what would you say
We're an advocacy, policy and service-coordinating organization that's the oldest and largest immigration rights organization in the U.S., incorporated in 1987. We have more than 200 members across New York and offices in New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany and Newburg. Part of our work is making sure that we're coordinating services for immigrant New Yorkers, including legal clinics, financial literacy, healthcare enrollment. We also help our members advocate for our communities at the local, state and federal level – defending rights and expanding them when we're able to.

We have an operating budget of about $22 million, with a great deal of that money going out in grants to our member organizations to do everything from civic engagement to legal services to organizing and trainings and a bunch of other things. In total, we serve millions of New Yorkers every year.

So Donald Trump is returning to the White House after having made many anti-immigration promises such as carrying out the largest mass deportations in U.S. history and cracking down even harder on the border than President Biden has done recently. It is also highly possible he'll try to eliminate various programs that allow different kinds of immigrants to stay in the U.S., such as Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals. It's a scary time for immigrants, especially undocumented ones. How is NYIC bracing to fight all this?
We witnessed Trump's wrath against our communities in his first term. He kicked off that term with the Muslim ban, at which point we mobilized thousands of New Yorkers to get to JFK Airport, to help release green card holders from the countries in question who were coming back to the U.S. Then there was his family separation policy and his public charge rule seeking to punish people seeking permanent resident status (such as a green dard) if they had ever used publicly funded programs for basic needs like housing, healthcare and nutrition. He also tried to add to the census a question about one's citizenship that was meant to scare immigrants away from taking the census, which would leave them undercounted, which would lead to fewer resources.

And for each of those moments, we fought back. And this time will be no different. This time, [the Trump administration] is coming in a bit more prepared, so we too are prepared for whatever is to come.

To jump back a minute, what would you say were NYIC's biggest victories against Trump in his first term?
We organized a lot of the fight against the Muslim ban and we also ensured that the citizenship question wasn't added to the Census, taking the issue to the Supreme Court, which ruled against it.

Okay, so what will you be doing this time?
We'll be newly educating communities on what their rights are, such as that they don't have to answer the door for ICE officials unless the officials have a judicial warrant signed by a judge. We're also having conversations with community members about family planning if [ICE were to break up families, such as to detain undocumented parents of children who were born in the U.S. and are hence citizens]. 

Right, and like you said, ICE does have the power to raid workplaces and homes if it has a warrant. Are you planning some kind of community mobilization or resistance if they start doing that?
Yes, we want to set up community safety networks to ensure that people across the state can quickly mobilize in the face of things that are happening. One of the biggest promises of Trump's campaign was to carry out mass deportations. It will cost nearly $1 trillion to deport all the people they want to, so it may not fully happen, but already they're succeeding in filling our communities with fear, which pushes people into the shadows and makes them more vulnerable. We also need to strengthen New York State's sanctuary policies.

How so?
The underlying policy is that if you are undocumented and are a victim of a crime, or are sick, you can go to the police or a hospital and they will not turn you over [to ICE]. But now there is New York City bill Intro 214, which would ensure that all city workers understand the liabilities and risks when you're giving up people's private data. And at the state level, we have to make sure we pass the New York For All Act, which would ensure that any state resources the state receives can't be used for collusion with ICE for separating families—unless there is a judicial warrant.

What is the current capacity of legal services for immigrants throughout New York State?
In comparison to other parts of the country, it's well-resourced, but we're still short. We need to invest deeper into the infrastructure of immigrant legal services because we don't have enough lawyers. And that includes not just lawyers but paralegals, client navigators and reps for the Board of Immigration Appeals. Right now we have more than 100,000 people in immigration proceedings in New York State – and we know you have significantly better chances of winning your case if you have an attorney.

What are you planning as an intervention to possible raids? Neighborhood-based protests? Civil disobedience
The most important thing that people need to know right now is what their rights are – and that includes employers, who must know that ICE can't enter a private property without a judicial warrant. We're currently revamping and updating some of our materials right now.

Trump won partly by painting the Biden administration as "weak on the border," even though Biden this summer really put limits on how many could enter. But many people think the policy should not be "catch and release," letting people into the country at least until their court date. This was the policy before the first Trump administration, which ended it, only to have Biden reinstate it upon becoming president. What do you think our border policy should be?
We've made commitments to international humanitarian policies about being able to seek safety here. And people do that in part because of the havoc the U.S. has sown in other countries. It's U.S. sanctions on Venezuela that crippled that country and triggered mass migration of Venezuelans to other countries. We have to realize that our foreign policy has impacts on migration. Who doesn't agree with having an orderly, efficient border? Our border issue is a symptom of our broken immigration system.

How so exactly?
Our immigration system is so antiquated and arcane that there are very few options for people who want to come into the U.S., whether it's for refuge and safety or for economic opportunity. As a country, we need that workforce. Immigration has always been the U.S.'s golden opportunity but instead we're moving in the other direction, which is what this incoming administration wants.

What is your trajectory that brought you to the head of NYIC?
I am of Palestinian descent and grew up organizing in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, working alongside the Puerto Rican and Dominican communities and organizing around environmental and climate issues. I worked at a group focused on those issues called Uprose, then shortly after that, eleven years ago, I started as a civic engagement coordinator at NYIC, getting immigrant communities registered to vote. Over time I took over leading our advocacy efforts across the state, then took on leadership of the organization.

What is a typical day like for you?
I live on Staten Island. I usually wake up by 5:30am, especially if my kids wake me up, then I have a cup of coffee and get my kids ready and off to school, then I get ready and usually take a bus via New Jersey to NYIC's office near Penn Station. I don't really like working from home. Then my day is checking emails, looking over my schedule for the day, having meetings about fundraising or with my staff to address any rapid response issues that come up. Sometimes I wind down by 6:30 or 7, other times by 10 p.m. If I get home early enough I'll try to make dinner, or we'll eat the food from last night or order in, which we try not to do very often. We have dinner as a family, then I check my kids' homework.

What skills have you developed over your organizing career that are most beneficial for you today?
I've learned to listen more and speak less. I think many people should invest in that talent, really being able to comprehend what you're hearing – so you can respond with a full thought rather than a reactive thought. My other skill is being deliberate and intentional in the work I do.

What do you mean exactly? We hear that word "intentional" a lot these days.
Making sure that you understand what your job is. I see myself as a facilitator – someone who brings together organizations under an umbrella for things that are going to help us in the collective.

What personal skills do you need to work on?
Making more time for myself, practicing more self-care.

How do you intend to practice self-care in the very likely stressful and distressing Trump 2.0 years ahead?
I want to learn how to swim. I'm already looking for classes. Yes, I'm a grown man who doesn't know how to swim! But I'm committed to learning. And journaling more, writing down my thoughts. This work is very fast paced and sometimes I forget to check in with myself.