Prohibits governmental entities from entering into agreements to house individuals in immigration detention facilities; requires governmental entities to terminate existing contracts for the detention of individuals in immigration detention facilities.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4181
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 31, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. REYES, MITAYNES, MAMDANI, OTIS, SIMON, WEPRIN,
EPSTEIN, GALLAGHER, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, GLICK, CRUZ, KELLES, SEPTIMO,
TAYLOR, RIVERA, ROSENTHAL, R. CARROLL, CLARK, FORREST, SHRESTHA,
LEVENBERG, RAGA, BURDICK, HEVESI, CUNNINGHAM, MEEKS, BORES, JACKSON,
ALVAREZ, FALL, ZACCARO, TAPIA, ANDERSON, SIMONE, KIM, DE LOS SANTOS,
SEAWRIGHT, CHANDLER-WATERMAN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Correction
AN ACT to amend the correction law, in relation to enacting the "Dignity
Not Detention Act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Dignity
2 Not Detention Act".
3 § 2. Section 2 of the correction law is amended by adding two new
4 subdivisions 35 and 36 to read as follows:
5 35. "Immigration detention facility" means any building, facility or
6 structure used, in whole or in part, to house or detain individuals for
7 civil immigration violations.
8 36. "Immigration detention agreement" means any contract, agreement,
9 intergovernmental service agreement or memorandum of understanding that
10 authorizes a state or local government to house or detain individuals
11 for civil immigration violations.
12 § 3. The correction law is amended by adding a new article 29 to read
13 as follows:
14 ARTICLE 29
15 IMMIGRATION DETENTION AGREEMENTS
16 Section 900. Immigration detention agreement.
17 § 900. Immigration detention agreement. 1. The state, county, munici-
18 pality, a unit of local government, a county sheriff, or an agency,
19 officer, employee, or agent of the state, county, municipality, or a
20 unit of local government shall not:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00485-01-5
A. 4181 2
1 (a) Enter into or renew an immigration detention agreement; or
2 (b) Receive any payment related to the detention of individuals in an
3 immigration detention facility.
4 2. The state, county, municipality, a unit of local government, a
5 county sheriff, or an agency, officer, employee, or agent of the state,
6 county, municipality, or a unit of local government shall not:
7 (a) enter into an agreement of any kind for the detention of individ-
8 uals in an immigration detention facility owned, managed or operated, in
9 whole or in part, by a private entity;
10 (b) pay, reimburse, subsidize, or defray in any way any costs related
11 to the sale, purchase, construction, development, ownership, management,
12 or operation of an immigration detention facility that is or will be
13 owned, managed, or operated, in whole or in part, by a private entity;
14 (c) receive any payment related to the detention of individuals in an
15 immigration detention facility owned, managed or operated, in whole or
16 in part, by a private entity;
17 (d) otherwise give any financial incentive or benefit to any private
18 entity or person in connection with the sale, purchase, construction,
19 development, ownership, management, or operation of an immigration
20 detention facility that is or will be owned, managed or operated, in
21 whole or in part, by a private entity; or
22 (e) approve a zoning variance or issue a permit for the construction
23 of a building or the reuse of existing buildings or structures by any
24 private entity for use as an immigration detention facility.
25 3. The state, county, municipality, a unit of local government, a
26 county sheriff, or an agency, officer, employee, or agent of the state,
27 county, municipality or a unit of local government with an existing
28 immigration detention agreement shall exercise the termination provision
29 contained in the immigration detention agreement no later than ninety
30 days from the date on which this article takes effect.
31 4. No person, business or private entity shall own or operate an immi-
32 gration detention facility within the state.
33 5. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary
34 contained in any general, special, or local laws, in any dispute over an
35 immigration detention agreement with the state, the provisions of this
36 section shall govern.
37 § 4. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivi-
38 sion, section or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of
39 competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect,
40 impair, or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in
41 its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section
42 or part thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judg-
43 ment shall have been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of
44 the legislature that this act would have been enacted even if such
45 invalid provisions had not been included herein.
46 § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
