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New bus and billboard signs seen around Rochester aim to bring the importance of immigrants to the forefront of people’s minds.
Tagged with the phrase “Rochester Proud,” they highlight the historical contributions immigrants have made through their work and community-building.
“Sometimes in the darkest of nights, the stars are most visible,” says Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition. “While we’re going through challenging times on immigration, we don’t want people to forget how our cities across New York benefit and continue to benefit from every wave of immigration.
“They build and sustain our communities, our local economies, and the care we have as New Yorkers regardless of their background, immigration status, or faith,” he adds. “There is no New York without immigrants.”
The “Rochester Proud” campaign is a part of NYIC’s broader “Immigrants are New York” push. The project collects photographs from immigrants, primarily in New York City, and displays their stories of arrival in the country, their connections to local communities, and their hopes for the future. Exhibits are at locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City.
The entire effort by NYIC comes as the federal government engages in aggressive raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. As of June, ICE reported that it had made 66,463 arrests and 65,682 deportations within the first 100 days of the Trump administration.
According to an ICE enforcement dashboard, former President Joe Biden’s administration made 500,842 arrests and 588,500 deportations between February 2021 and December 2024. Most of those removals (75 percent) were from border-crossers caught at the border and handed over to ICE.
In the face of aggressive enforcement action, a public awareness campaign is important and required for this moment, Awawdeh says.
“It’s even more necessary in moments like this. It regrounds us not only in this moment, but (also) connects us to our history,” he says. “This is how we’ve been able to fight for one another, by witnessing and understanding our shared humanity.”
In the Rochester area, White House border czar Tom Homan visited in April, warning the city to end its sanctuary city policies. Since then, ICE has conducted raids in Henrietta and within the city.
Those developments prompted NYIC to expand its campaign to Rochester.
“Yes, Rochester is also a leader on immigration integration and belonging work, so this campaign comes at the perfect time,” Awawdeh says, referring to Rochester recently codifying its sanctuary city status.
“Sanctuary policies are actually public safety measures. They tell people in your jurisdiction that they should not be afraid to call the police if they’re a victim of a crime or a witness of a crime,” he notes. “How they’ve gotten this bad credibility is really weird in a sense because we want everyone to be active in a society, we want people who are victims or witnesses to crime to go to law enforcement, instead of the vilification of our communities we are seeing day in and day out.”
NYIC says the best way to take action now is through state and local government. It is currently gearing up for the next state legislative session in January. The group is pushing for the “New York for All Act,” a measure similar to the one adopted in Rochester, which would restrict state and local government agencies from collaborating with federal immigration enforcement, such as ICE.
The “Rochester Proud” campaign will be on billboards and buses until Oct. 5.
Jacob Schermerhorn is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and data journalist.
The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. See “Leave a Reply” below to discuss on this post. Comments of a general nature may be submitted to the Letters page by emailing [email protected].
The vast majority of illegal aliens do not have their lives at stake in their home countries. But most illegal aliens are looking for the numerous “free” benefits that they think they will be entitled to and job opportunities. This does not entitle them to break the laws of a sovereign country including but limited to the United States.
We all applaud legal immigration but not those who have broken our immigration laws. It’s an insult to legal immigrants and those who are awaiting patiently for their turn. Tom Homan is doing the right thing to insure the rule of law.
By all means tell us how, if it was you and the lives and well-being of your family were at stake, you’d patiently and politely refuse to cross the US border and would stay put and wait for the paperwork to clear.
Setting aside that on this continent we are ALL the result of immigration, whether it took place 20 weeks or 20,000 years ago, and further accepting the fact that bragging about how one’s ancestors came here “legally” fails to impress given that in the 418 years since Jamestown there were no immigration restrictions until 143 years ago, we’re still left with the question as to what value a “sanctuary city” self-designation and the attendant civil disobedience in refusing to cooperate with ICE, et al serves. That Trump has demonized illegal aliens to create the concept of a common enemy and threat in the minds of his sheep (similar to the way Jews were demonized in the past in Germany) rather then because he’s Mr. Law & Order is beyond dispute. That many ICE agents are acting like stormtroopers in their pursuit of illegal aliens is likewise painfully obvious. But what the advocates of sanctuary cities fail to grasp is that their civil disobedience backfires by giving Trump and his goon squads more ammunition and more propaganda to enrage the sheep. We’ve already seen Trump’s steps now being taken toward restricting legal immigration. Rochester’s sanctuary city status is doing much harm and damn little good. Time to stop destroying the village in order to save it.
Len, you know when you bring up the Jews and Germany in comparison you are either lacking in any knowledge or you are just so far removed by your hatred of Trump, you can’t think straight. There is no comparison. My father and mother lived through WWII and the horrors of that war. My mother house bombed and her two brothers (My Uncles) killed instantly. They can tell you of incidences that will make you break down and cry. Comparing the ICE agents to stormtroopers, Nazis and the like is not just inaccurate but ignorant. Maybe spending some time being productive in your community and or community service for those who need a hand up (not hand out) might be more productive. You have way too much time on your hands. Semper Fi.
Thank you for your Pavlovian response to any criticism of the felonious Demagogue Donny. Such defenses of the indefensible are, as always, amusing, head-in-the-sand, and off by many miles/kilometers.
That aside, I wouldn’t dream of actually comparing Donny to Adolf. After all, as a swaggering, egotistical, bombastic windbag, Trump is far more of a match for Mussolini. As to who is ignorant of the lessons of history, I’d submit that those of you on today’s Far Right are following in the footsteps/jackbootsteps of those who in the 1930s attempted to excuse the actions of the fascist forces taking over Germany by claiming that their excesses were temporary and that there was no threat to democracy. Of course many in Germany saw what was coming and when they objected their media was censored, their livelihoods damaged, and they were branded as “unpatriotic” by the government of non-entities who lied 24/7/365. Finally, a campaign of hatred against one group soon led to the rounding up and detaining of dissidents.
In retrospect, this situation was best summed up by Pastor Martin Niemöller when he wrote:
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Now, to add to the signs of the times, American NeoCons have taken a lesson from German fascists by turning Charlie Kirk, a murdered social media thug into a secular saint in the exact manner in which German fascists turned Horst Wessel, a murdered street thug, into a object of adoration.
All in all, it’s clear you would benefit immensely by checking out a little book by Sinclair Lewis entitled, “It Can’t Happen Here”.
As to losing relatives, I too lost relatives to WWII. In a war brought on to a large extent by conservatives on both sides of the Atlantic making excuses for fascism and condemning those who raised the alarm.
There is no distinction in this article between “illegal” and “legal” immigrants or immigration. Most Americans are in favour of one and not the other. There are myriad reasons for that. Not the least of which is the sheer volume of “undocumented” aliens coming to these shores, and the costs of maintaining a society that all but welcomes them in.
I could go on, but I won’t. Since I fear that my voice is but one in an much more liberal echo chamber that cares little about what I have to say or how I feel about this issue. My opinions be damned.
First of all I want to thank you for recognizing that immigrants, like myself, have made contributions to America. Not that anyone has doubted that, because we are, indeed, a nation of immigrants. I came here in Feb of 1957 from the Netherlands. I was 12 at the time. I can remember when my mother decided that immigration would be best for us three boys. My parents applied, we were vetted, we were medically approved and we came here via a Super Constellation and landed in NYC. From there a train to Rochester, NY which became our new home. Before arriving I remember my parents attending English classes in Heemstede, Holland. When we arrived family members brought us into their home until my father could gain employment. Six weeks later we were in our new home, an apartment on Culver Rd. There was no financial assistance. As a matter of fact the ONLY thing we received was this invaluable item called OPPORTUNITY. We fully embraced that opportunity and some time later we bought our first home on Kansas Street and later to Minnesota Street. Both parents worked hard, period. Nothing was given, just the opportunity thing. So….we came here legally, worked hard to establish ourselves and, the big one, assimilated into the American way of life. All three boys went to Edison Technical and Industrial High School. I took drafting as in pencil and paper. Yup, I’m old. After that a tour in the US Marine Corps. I owe everything to that school which was the Crown Jewel of RCSD. My one brother went to work for J & J and had over 20 patent to his name regarding the blood analyser. My other brother a supervisor at RF Communications. Both spent their entire professional tour at those businesses. That accomplished with just high school. That school has now been destroyed and is in receivership. That was our journey legally attained. Now you have this illegal immigration supported and encouraged by the previous administration. It has also brought us diseases, criminality and has cost us billions. While I support legal (actually anything legal) the illegal thing doesn’t do it for me. Should you support the illegal aspect I will help myself to your refrigerator the next time I’m in town. Just saying. SEMPER FI.