New York City immigration advocates brace for battle after Donald Trump's victory

MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- With Donald Trump securing his second term for president, New York City is preparing for what's to come in regards to immigration reform.

Trump has promised sweeping changes to what he painted as an out of control immigration system, which has advocates ready for battle.

"We're going to fight it or we're as prepared, if not more prepared than the first time around," said New York Immigration Coalition's Murad Awawdeh. "We fought him not just in the streets, but in the halls of power as well as in the courts. We took our case all the way to the Supreme Court and won against this administration. And we're we're going to not only do what we did last time, but we are gearing up to ensure that our communities have the support that they need to be able to fight back as well."

During his campaign, Trump promised mass deportations, using the National Guard to round up immigrants and bringing back policies he put in place during his first term. He criticized the current administration's policies for failing to stop the flow of asylum seekers, many of whom have ended up in the city.

Commissioner of the NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Manuel Castro says one of the city's main goals now is to curb fears among the immigrant community.

"We need to take a step back and make sure people have the correct information," he said. "What we're doing, we're working with all the agencies that interact with immigrant communities to make sure that they understand what our sanctuary laws are and as they are expected to follow and how do we prepare for anything that might happen in the near future."

Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly pressed the current administration for federal assistance as the city's resources struggled to keep up with the wave of asylum seekers arriving in the city. Adams says his ask of the federal government hasn't changed.

"It didn't matter to me who was in the White House," Adams said. "I've been consistent on my calls since 2023, if not earlier, that New York City and other big cities should not be picking up the cost of a national problem. and we need a decompression strategy at the border to make sure that we take control of this crisis and not have this crisis take control of us."

In the last two years, New York City has received more than 200,000 new migrants.

RELATED: Mayor Eric Adams vows to fight for rights of New Yorkers after 2024 presidential election results

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