New York City Council member Tiffany Cabán is pushing a massive funding proposal that would allocate almost $200 million of taxpayer money to defend illegal immigrants against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Cabán, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and a close ally of New York’s new far-left mayor, Zohran Mamdani, announced her plan this week. The proposal comes as the city continues to struggle with budget cuts, rising crime, and a historic influx of migrants.
Cabán claimed that federal action under the Trump administration represents what she called “a full-scale assault on democracy.”
“What we witnessed in Los Angeles, Chicago, and elsewhere this year is nothing less than a full scale assault on democracy,” she said.
“Federal troops sent onto city streets to serve Donald Trump’s fascist agenda and terrorize our immigrant siblings.”
She then accused federal officials of preparing to target cities like New York.
“They’re looking for any pretext, any opportunity to invade our streets under the banner of ‘security,’” Cabán said.
Officials from the city’s Office of Immigrant Affairs cited research from the Vera Institute of Justice estimating that it would cost $188.5 million to “provide services to every immigrant New Yorker.” That includes $145 million for free legal defense and another $43.5 million for other services such as housing and administrative support.
Just five months ago, the city doubled its immigration defense budget to about $120 million. Now, Cabán and her allies are calling for multi-year contracts and “the broadest, lowest barrier access to dollars as soon as possible.”
The proposed expansion would triple the city’s funding for immigration-related programs at a time when public schools, police, and local hospitals are already facing cuts.
According to local news outlet QNS, Cabán also hosted an anti-ICE event called the “Stand Against ICE” resource fair in late September. The event took place in Astoria and was billed as a way for residents to “call for an end to ICE taking away immigrants.”
Her office said the fair gave attendees “an opportunity to learn about how they could get involved in local organizing, what actions they can take to protect neighbors from ICE and get connected with support.”
The event was one of several recent efforts by left-wing groups in New York to mobilize against immigration enforcement. Organizers openly encouraged residents to resist cooperation with federal authorities, even when arrests involved individuals with criminal records.
Cabán’s proposal is being viewed as part of a growing movement among Democratic officials to defy the federal government’s immigration policies and shield undocumented migrants from deportation.
Critics say this plan is proof that New York’s leadership has abandoned its own citizens in favor of political grandstanding. Supporters of the measure claim it’s about “protecting vulnerable families,” even as the city’s budget shortfall nears $10 billion.
The funding proposal would effectively hand control of immigration enforcement resistance to activist groups operating with taxpayer money. Many of these organizations are aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America and have publicly called for the abolition of ICE and the closure of all detention centers.
Cabán has not yet announced when the City Council will vote on the measure, but officials within her office say they intend to “move quickly.”
The proposal marks another escalation in New York’s ongoing clash with the Trump administration’s renewed enforcement of immigration law — and a sharp warning that city officials are willing to use massive public funds to defy federal authority.
