In an exclusive interview with the UIDN newsletter, Ulster County County Executive Jen Metzger voices strong support for actions to protect immigrants.
UIDN: It was heartening to hear you again voice strong support for UIDN and other community groups defending immigrants at the Labor Day rally in New Paltz. What role do you believe groups such as UIDN should be playing?
Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger: Organizations like the Ulster Immigrant Defense Network play an essential role in our communities — especially in this dark time for immigrant families — by providing legal assistance, education, emergency planning, and a trusted and reliable network of support. Just as importantly, these organizations are helping to build a culture of solidarity and compassion, and counter misinformation.
UIDN: What concrete measures have been enacted by the Ulster County government to defend innocent immigrants and their families?
JM: We continue to have an Executive Order in place, issued by former County Executive Pat Ryan during the first Trump administration, directing that County employees shall not collect or share information on immigration status unless required to do so by federal law. The Executive Order also prohibits federal immigration officials from accessing individuals in County custody or using a judge.
This is about protecting due process — a right of every person, regardless of immigration status, under the U.S. Constitution. I have also directed that Know-Your-Rights cards (the ‘red cards’ with information in both English and Spanish) be made available to the public at County buildings, and have been working to counter misinformation about immigrants by highlighting the important roles and contributions of immigrants to our communities and local economy.
UIDN: What, if any, further support measures are planned or under consideration?
JM: When I was in the State Senate, I helped pass the NYS Green Light Law, and as County Executive, will continue to advocate for common-sense state policies, as well as for federal immigration reform that provides a legal pathway for our immigrant workers and their families.
UIDN: You have declared on multiple occasions that the Ulster County government will not assist ICE or other government agencies seeking to seize and deport innocent people regardless of their immigration status. What does that mean in concrete terms?
JM: We will strictly adhere to the 2019 Executive Order I referenced earlier, and the Sheriff [Juan Figueroa] has his own policy in place consistent with that EO.
UIDN: In light of the huge increase in funding and staffing for ICE, how do you foresee future ICE enforcement efforts in Ulster County and in New York State?
JM: I am very concerned about a significant ramp-up of ICE enforcement efforts in New York — in workplaces, on the streets, and in people’s homes. Last week, 70 workers were taken from a factory upstate with assistance from Oswego and Cayuga County sheriff’s deputies, according to media accounts, and then flown to an unknown location in Texas. In Ulster County, we are doing what we can within our limited jurisdiction, and the state can put more protections in place by passing the New York for All Act.
UIDN: What legal constraints – on county, state or federal levels – does the county government face as it seeks to implement a non-cooperation policy with ICE and other government agencies?
JM: As public servants, we have sworn to uphold the U.S. Constitution, and will always do so. We must also comply with federal immigration law.
UIDN: As a community and as a nation, how do we defeat Trump and his Republican supporters and thereby regain our basic freedoms?
JM: By standing up and fighting for the rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution, utilizing all the tools of civic action as well as the ballot box. But we also have to cut through the misinformation and increase understanding and awareness of the contributions of immigrants to our communities and economy.
I’m heartened by recent public opinion surveys, with a July Gallup poll showing that about 8 in 10 Americans believe immigration is “a good thing” for the country today — a high point in more than two decades.
We need to transform this sentiment into action, and build a broad coalition behind a positive path forward: common-sense immigration reform that provides a legal pathway for immigrant workers and their families. Immigrants built this county and this country, and continue to contribute to our collective well-being in countless ways.
