ALBANY, N.Y. — New York immigrant advocacy groups are criticizing the state’s newly finalized Fiscal Year 2027 budget, arguing that a $10 million increase for immigrant legal defense and support programs falls well short of what is needed as immigration enforcement intensifies across the state.
The New York state budget was finalized Wednesday, May 27, 2026, and allocated $10 million to immigrant legal defense and support programs. The increase raises funding from $64.2 million to $74.2 million, an amount immigrant advocacy groups say remains insufficient, according to a press release from the Vera Institute of Justice.
“The consequences of this budget will be enormous—the sheer scale of unmet need means that too many families will not be able to access the legal services they need as attacks on immigrant New Yorkers further intensify,” stated the Campaign for Access, Representation, and Equity (CARE) for Immigrant Families in a May 26, 2026, press release provided by Vera.
The funding is part of an $82.48 million allocation to the Office for New Americans, which includes the new funds as well as the reallocation of funds from the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, according to the Vera Institute of Justice.
The state’s total Fiscal Year 2027 budget is $268.5 billion.
Vera, CARE for Immigrant Families, and other organizations, including the New York Immigration Coalition and Immigrant Children Advocates’ Relief Effort, contend that the increased funding is inadequate and will not meet the state’s needs.
“While we acknowledge that the increase in this year’s New York State budget for immigration legal services under the Office for New Americans breaks a three-year streak of nearly stagnant funding at $64.2 million, this investment ultimately falls dangerously short of what this moment demands,” CARE for Immigrant Families said in a statement, according to Vera.
“Anything short of doubling current funding would fail our immigrant communities, abandoning neighbors, parents, and colleagues throughout the state without the support they need to defend themselves against unprecedented threats,” CARE said.
The Investigative Post reported that 3,722 people were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement between Jan. 20, 2025, and Jan. 21, 2026. According to the report, two-thirds of those arrested in upstate New York were deported.
Earlier this month, Gov. Kathy Hochul stated that she and state legislators had reached an agreement on budget allocations, including funding related to immigration, according to a May 7, 2026, press release from the New York State Division of the Budget.
“I promised a Budget that works for working people and expands opportunities for all New Yorkers and I was not going to back down from that fight,” Hochul said, according to the Division of the Budget website.
“Alongside my partners in the Legislature, today we are delivering on that promise. This Budget includes sweeping changes to lower costs, enhance public safety, protect our communities from federal overreach and invest in the future of New York families.”
The Division of the Budget also reported that, in addition to overall funding for immigration protections, the state’s comprehensive plan includes “[prohibiting local law enforcement from being deputized by ICE for federal civil immigration enforcement by eliminating 287(g) agreements.”
The plan would also bar Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from entering schools, homes, and medical facilities without a judicial warrant, “ban federal, state, and local law enforcement from wearing masks while on duty,” and establish a New York state law allowing residents the “right to sue federal, state, and local officials, including ICE officers, for constitutional violations,” among other provisions.
Vera, CARE, and other organizations maintain that they will continue pushing for expanded immigration legal services to keep pace with President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement operations, according to CARE’s statement. They are also urging state leaders to take additional action.
“State leaders still have an opportunity this legislative session to act with courage and urgency by passing the Building Up Immigrant Legal Defense (BUILD) Act and Access to Representation Act, permanent policy solutions that would ensure immigrant New Yorkers have meaningful access to legal representation and that legal service providers have the resources necessary to meet the growing need,” CARE stated.
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