Immigration debate reaches Oswego County as advocates push for New York For All Act

Photo via Deanna Pawlenko Hubbard

OSWEGO, N.Y. – As immigration debates continue across New York, advocates in Oswego County are pushing for stronger protections through the proposed New York For All Act.

The act, currently under consideration in the New York State Legislature, is a no collusion resolution, meaning that legislation would prevent cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

Organize Oswego, a local grassroots advocacy organization focused on immigration rights, housing issues and community organizing in Oswego County, said the bill would help immigrants feel safer reporting crimes, attending school, seeking medical care and accessing community resources.

“What that means practically for Oswego county is that our neighbors could attend school, go to the doctor, report a crime, or simply go about their daily lives without fear,” the organization emailed.

Organize Oswego has attended Oswego Common Council and Oswego County Legislature meetings to encourage local officials to support immigrant protections instead of cooperating with federal immigration enforcement.

Those supporting the New York For All Act say that cooperation between local agencies and ICE creates fear for immigrant communities and discourages families from using public services.

“We believe the New York For All Act is essential because half-measures aren’t enough,” the organization said.

Maureen Curtin, an English professor at SUNY Oswego who teaches courses focused on immigration and feminist theory, said fear surrounding immigration is often fueled by long-standing political narratives.

“It’s an old playbook where immigrants become scapegoats,” Curtin said. “People are looking for somebody to blame.”

Curtin said economic frustrations and political rhetoric have contributed to anti-immigrant sentiment both locally and nationally. While Curtin noted that this rhetoric is happening everywhere, the history of the Rust belt in Central and Upstate New York may make people in the area more vulnerable to this narrative.

The immigration raid at Nutrition Bar Confectioners in Cato on Sept. 4, 2025, in which federal immigration agents detained multiple workers during a workplace enforcement operation, is an example of the impact that immigration enforcement can have on local communities. According to Organize Oswego, the raid caused fear among workers and families across the region.

“When something like that happens in your backyard, fear doesn’t stay inside the factory walls,” the organization said. “It spreads to every immigrant family in the region.”

Curtin also said immigrant communities are often unfairly blamed for larger economic issues despite research showing immigrants contribute positively to the economy. 

A 2024 study from the Cato Institute found that immigrants contributed more in taxes than they received in government benefits between 19994 and 2023.

“The data tells us that these are narratives,” Curtin said. “If not for immigrants, our national debt would be way higher than it currently is.”

Curtin said many immigration conversations are shaped by the belief that immigrants are ‘not doing it the right way,’ but she believes the public often does not fully understand how citizenship and immigration processes work.

“I feel like the thing that we need to do is have more conversations with people about, what does that mean?” Curtin said. “What is the way? How do people become citizens? And how has that changed over our history.”

Journalists and community members should also pay attention to the impact immigration enforcement can have on citizens, Curtin said.

“Journalists could maybe in a more organized way track just how frequently ICE has been picking up and harming people who are citizens,” she said. “I think it is much more frequent than anybody understands.”

Organize Oswego says that legislation pushing the New York For All Act would help rebuild trust between immigrant communities and public institutions while improving public safety.

“But the evidence consistently shows that making immigrants afraid of local law enforcement does not make communities safer,” the organization said.

Organize Oswego said students and young people play an important role in immigration advocacy efforts across the county. They encourage residents to attend Common Council meetings, County Legislature meetings, rallies and community forums while also spreading know-your-rights information. 

“The goal is to build a community that can organize effectively to support our immigrant friends and families, and that work happens at every level, from Albany all the way down to a conversation at the kitchen table,” the organization said.

Organize Oswego said it plans to continue community outreach efforts through public meetings, educational events and advocacy campaigns related to immigrant protections in Oswego County.