WHAT'S NEXT

Stop S-Comm in New York! Gov. Cuomo, End Unjust Deportations
  1. Signatures
    6,364 out of 10,000
    Petitioning
    1. Gov. Cuomo
  2. Created By
    New York Working Group Against Deportation
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates
How We Won

Jun 01, 2011

After weeks of sustained organizing and over 6,300 Change.org members petitioned Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York has officially quit the so-called "Secure Communities" program. The controversial deportation program will formally be suspended in every county across New York State!

In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Governor Cuomo's administration stated that an initial review had called into question the implementation and intended effects of the rapidly-expanding program.

It is truly a great day for New York, for the thousands of Change.org members who took action, as well as for the hundreds of faith leaders, community advocates, police officers, and elected officials who sent letters to the Governor in opposition to the so-called "Secure Communities" program in New York State.

Join the fight in New York State against the unjust deportation system, and demand that Governor Cuomo end the S-Comm program immediately.

Last year, New York State gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the green light to partner with police through a federal fingerprinting program called “Secure Communities," or S-Comm, a program plagued with controversy. S-Comm encourages racial profiling, undermines community trust in the police, and puts tens of thousands of people into an unjust deportation system each year. Even victims of domestic violence!

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn just announced that his state would quit the S-Comm program after a months-long investigation, which revealed deep concerns over the way that immigrants were being targeted and families split apart. Now, New York state legislators and advocates are pressuring Gov. Cuomo to immediately do the same.

The good news is that we can still stop S-Comm in New York State before it gets implemented statewide!

Don't let New York tear our families and communities apart. Sign your name to tell Governor Cuomo to end New York's "Secure Communities" agreement immediately!

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Stop S-Comm in New York!

Governor Andrew Cuomo,

Our country faces a crisis of mass detentions and deportations that violates our notions of fairness and justice.

Last year, New York State signed an agreement to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement the green light to partner with police to help deport people through a fingerprinting program called “Secure Communities.” Under S-Comm, local police run the fingerprints of all arrestees through immigration databases so that immigrants can be tagged for deportation. This program undermines trust in the police. It makes us all less safe when community members are afraid to cooperate with local police investigations. Even worse, S-Comm violates our rights with threats of increased racial profiling and deprives us of the fundamental principles of liberty guaranteed in the Constitution.

ICE uses programs like S-Comm as a dragnet to deport immigrants. Often sent to remote detention centers, most immigrants are forced to defend themselves without loved ones, information, or even lawyers to help them navigate the deportation process. Meanwhile, their families and communities are deprived of support systems and breadwinners. New York cannot tolerate its residents getting torn from their homes and community. Governor Cuomo, you have the power to protect New York's immigrants and to stop the destruction of our families and communities.

We ask that you, Governor Cuomo, immediately end New York’s Secure Communities agreement.

[Your name]

Press Inquiries