The Trump administration is trying to acquire warehouses to use as ICE detention centers, but local leaders are fighting back.
Here's how communities across the country are mobilizing to shut down this cruel effort:
To make the most of public safety resources and reliably meet the needs of the public, cities can organize these evidence-based tools to form a Department of Community Safety. This is how we build a more effective public safety system and healthier communities for all: www.vera.org/investing-in...
Many cities fund violence prevention, crisis response, and reentry programs. These evidence-based approaches help reduce harm and have contributed to historic crime declines. But without stable funding and support, their impact can be limited.
New York leaders must:
➡️ Invest $175 million in funding for immigration legal services
➡️ Pass the Access to Representation, Building Up Immigrant Legal Defense, New York for All, and Dignity not Detention Acts
Our state can’t wait.
ICE is tearing families apart nationwide. From January to October 2025 in New York City, ICE detained more than 120 children—most with no criminal charges— in inhumane conditions. gothamist.com/news/ice-has...
Concrete rooms without windows and beds, inadequate food, a lack of hygiene supplies, and consistent access to counsel. From January to October 2025 ICE detained more than 120 children in NYC—most with no criminal charges—in inhumane conditions like these.
Looking ahead, Rahman remains committed to addressing public safety, the root causes of crime, and supporting Vera’s work to end mass incarceration of people of color, immigrants, and people experiencing poverty.
ICYMI: Insha Rahman, a key figure that helped secure state-level bail reform in #NY, will be Vera’s new president.
www.cityandstateny.com/nyn-media/20...
President Trump’s claims that these cruel immigration crackdowns advance public safety. Make no mistake: these attacks do not make our communities safer. As Kessler puts it, “Nothing could be further from the truth.”
truthout.org/articles/tru...
One glaring omission was any acknowledgment of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) and ICE’s well-documented violence. In the last year, DHS and ICE have:
➡️ Kidnapped people off the streets
➡️ Detained many without due process
➡️ Killed people protesting DHS’ presence
During last week’s State of the Union address, President Trump repeated his well-worn playbook of fearmongering immigration and credited militarized invasions for the nationwide declines in violent crime rates.
Huge congratulations to Insha Rahman on being named the new President of @vera.org and @veraaction.bsky.social! We look forward to continuing our work together to create a more just and equitable system for all New Yorkers and beyond.
State lawmakers must reject the federal anti-immigrant agenda. That means passing commonsense legislation like the Dignity Not Detention and New York for All. They must also pass the Access to Representation and BUILD Acts and invest $175M in immigration legal services.
ICE detained nearly 12,800 New Yorkers from January to October 2025. And in the last six months alone, the number of facilities in #NY holding immigrants for the federal government has DOUBLED.
Learn more about the New York for All Act: www.nyic.org/our-work/cam...
“As ICE escalates arrests across our state, New Yorkers need lasting protection from a federal detention system that separates families, fuels mass incarceration, and erodes due process.”—Vera’s Fabiola Davila
Learn more about the Dignity not Detention Act: nydignitynotdetention.org
Last week, joined by impacted New Yorkers and elected officials, we urged state lawmakers to pass the Dignity Not Detention and New York for All Acts. These bills would end 287(g) agreements, contracts that pay local facilities to detain people for ICE. www.news10.com/capitol/new-...
At a pivotal moment for our democracy, Insha brings the policy expertise, political strategy, and bold leadership needed to advance safety and justice nationwide.
Read our full announcement: www.vera.org/newsroom/ins...
Since 2020, Insha has served as Vera’s vice president for Advocacy and Partnerships and director of Vera Action, its sister 501(c)(4), partnering regularly with advocates, experts, and lawmakers across the political spectrum.
“I believe in the promise of America… I’m humbled to take the helm of Vera and continue to fight for real solutions that deliver more safety and justice.” — Insha Rahman
Today, Vera Institute of Justice and Vera Action (@veraaction.bsky.social) name Insha Rahman as its next president and director.
Under a new mayoral administration, New York City has an opportunity to build a safer, stronger city for all.
Join Vera, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, and more for a virtual conversation tomorrow about how a Department of Community Safety can make it a reality. RSVP here:
How many more people will die before Rikers Island closes?
Add your name and join us in the fight to close Rikers and end the human rights abuses in New York City jails before more lives are lost: secure.vera.org/a/close-rike...
Under former Mayor Eric Adams, 48 people died in New York City jails or immediately upon release from Department of Correction custody.
Any death is a tragedy—but this high death toll represents NYC's complete failure to keep incarcerated people safe. www.vera.org/news/nyc-jai...
Thank you, @edmarkey.bsky.social, for taking action on a national scale and recognizing the urgent need to shield our communities from the cruel weight of the president’s mass deportation machine.
Immigrant communities need a last line of defense, and the SHIELD Act is that. The legislation would build the long-term infrastructure urgently needed to expand the legal defender workforce and ensure due process for ALL.
This bill is vital as communities in #Massachusetts and across the U.S. face escalating harm and cruelty:
➡️ indiscriminate enforcement operations
➡️ widespread detention
➡️ family separation
Our full statement: www.vera.org/newsroom/sen...
In the face of these attacks, immigrants are being forced to defend themselves in court without a lawyer."— Senator Ed Markey
"Donald Trump and his administration are violating immigrants' civil rights through unlawful detentions and removals. The Department of Homeland Security has been detaining immigrants in horrifying conditions and denying them the due process the law requires.
#BreakingNews: Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey will introduce the Securing Help for Immigrants through Education and Legal Development (SHIELD) Act, legislation to strengthen legal representation for immigrants and uphold due process, nationwide. @npnewamericans.bsky.social
