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(Para ver la versión en español visite aquí).
Dear Neighbors,
As I stood beside my family last week, cheering on my grandson at the 2026 USA Diving Junior National Championships, my thoughts were briefly carried somewhere else. Calls and messages from neighbors began to arrive. While one generation was reaching toward possibility, another was once again confronting government-sponsored fear here at home.
The reports were deeply troubling. In Inwood, an unmarked vehicle. Masked agents refusing to identify themselves. A peaceful neighbor assaulted with pepper spray by an ICE agent with no justification. This was an abuse of federal power carried out through intimidation. When fear becomes a governing strategy, it does more than unsettle a neighborhood. It weakens the trust upon which every democracy depends.
District 31 has always been shaped by the dreams of immigrants. Our neighborhoods were not built by fear. They were built by people who crossed borders, learned new languages, opened small businesses, raised families, and believed that this nation could become more faithful to its own ideals. That is why the deliberate use of intimidation strikes so deeply. It does not simply target individuals. It attempts to erode the sense of belonging that generations have worked to build.
As I traveled throughout our district this week, from Inwood and Washington Heights to Kingsbridge, University Heights, Morris Heights, and Riverdale, I heard the quiet weight these events have placed on our community. Parents wondering whether it is safe to leave for work. Children asking questions no child should have to ask. Elders quietly whispering, "Otra vez." Again. It is a reminder that fear rarely arrives as a single event. It settles into daily life, asking people to shrink their routines, silence their voices, and question whether they truly belong.
That is precisely why we must reject it.
The responsibility of government is not to manufacture fear but to protect the dignity and constitutional rights of every person. The measure of a democracy is not how it treats those with the greatest power, but how faithfully it protects those who are most vulnerable. Laws without humanity become instruments of intimidation. Justice without accountability becomes little more than a slogan.
It is for this reason that I remain committed in Albany to advancing legislation that strengthens protections for immigrant communities and safeguards the civil and human rights of every New Yorker. Legislation can strengthen democracy, but only people sustain it through courage, solidarity, and their willingness to refuse fear.
To every family feeling anxious after recent federal immigration operations in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx, I want you to know this: you are not alone. Across our community, neighbors have responded not with silence, but with solidarity. The Immigrant Justice Committee of Inwood Indivisible, Cabrini Immigrant Services, the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, the New York Immigration Coalition, and so many others continue to stand beside families, reminding us that while fear seeks to isolate, community has always been our greatest source of strength.
Building on that community response, my team has spent the past week throughout our neighborhoods, distributing Know Your Rights materials, connecting residents with trusted organizations, and helping families navigate this moment with information and support. I also urged the public to safely document federal enforcement activity. Transparency is not defiance. It is one of the oldest principles of democratic accountability. When the public bears witness, government is reminded that it, too, remains accountable to the people.
So I leave you with this question: What kind of New York are we determined to build together?
I believe it is one where no child worries that a parent will disappear on the way to work. One where no family is forced to live in the shadows of intimidation. One where justice is measured not by the power government can wield, but by the liberty it safeguards.
That vision is worth defending. It is worth organizing for. It is worth legislating for.
Below, you will find community updates, important resources, and opportunities to stay informed, engaged, and connected.
In Unity,
RJ
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