New York, NY – Rochelle M. Garza, Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, moderated the People’s Hearing on Immigration Enforcement in New York on October 8, hearing directly from affected residents, advocates, business owners, and local leaders about the civil rights implications of federal immigration enforcement.
The community-led forum examined immigration enforcement in New York City and Long Island; interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and conditions in detention; uncertainty facing communities with Temporary Protected Status; the economic impact of enforcement; and issues affecting unaccompanied children and their sponsors. Chair Garza served as a moderator alongside Hispanic Federation President Frankie Miranda and former Commission Chair Marty Castro.
In remarks preceding the hearing, Chair Garza emphasized the importance of listening directly to communities and creating a public record of their experiences.
“Our communities are not going to have true healing until we have accountability from the systems that have caused harm,” Chair Garza said.
The New York hearing continued a national series of community-organized forums. Chair Garza has heard from communities in Los Angeles, St. Paul, Chicago, Charlotte, and across Texas. She thanked the Hispanic Federation, Latino Victory, the Texas Civil Rights Project, the Miranda Family Fund, and participating local organizations and individuals for their work to document the effects of immigration enforcement.
Chair Garza participated as part of her continuing response to a congressional request, led by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, urging the Commission to investigate civil rights concerns related to federal immigration enforcement.
The Commission and its State Advisory Committees have previously examined immigration detention conditions, the treatment of adults and children in federal custody, and related civil rights protections.
See Relevant Commission Reports:
- Civil Rights in Immigrant Detention Centers in New Mexico (2025) – A New Mexico Advisory Committee report examining civil rights concerns in the state’s immigrant detention centers, including due process and unsafe conditions.
- Trauma at the Border: The Human Cost of Inhumane Immigration Policies (2019) – An examination of asylum policies, the detention of children, and related human and civil rights concerns at the southern.
- With Liberty and Justice for All: The State of Civil Rights at Immigration Detention Facilities (2015) – An examination of civil rights and constitutional concerns involving adults and children held in federal immigration detention.
publicaffairs@usccr.gov