What's happening
This bill expands New York's extortion and coercion laws to include threats of deportation proceedings related to immigration status.
Why it matters
Broadens legal protections for immigrants. by making it a crime to threaten someone with deportation proceedings in order to extort, coerce, or steal from them, not just threats of criminal charges.
Targets a common form of exploitation. where individuals, especially undocumented immigrants, are vulnerable to threats about their immigration status, often used by employers, landlords, or abusers to gain money, services, or compliance.
Harmonizes state law with real-life risks faced by immigrant communities. , acknowledging that threats of deportation can be as coercive—and damaging—as threats of criminal prosecution.
Could encourage more victims to come forward. , knowing the law now explicitly recognizes and prohibits this specific form of intimidation, potentially improving trust in law enforcement among immigrant populations.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Ban Immigration Status Blackmail
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
39 Co-sponsors
- Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn
- Rebecca Seawright
- Phil Steck
- Vivian Cook
- Felix Ortiz
- Charles Lavine
- William Colton
- N. Nick Perry
- Jo Anne Simon
- Carmen E. Arroyo
- Charles Barron
- Ellen C. Jaffee
- Alicia Hyndman
- Yuh-Line Niou
- Victor M. Pichardo
- Carmen De La Rosa
- Anthony D'Urso
- Maritza Davila
- Inez E. Dickens
- Michael Blake
- Jaime R. Williams
- Kimberly Jean-Pierre
- David Weprin
- Walter T. Mosley
- Clyde Vanel
- Kenneth Zebrowski
- Philip Ramos
- Nily Rozic
- Richard Gottfried
- Thomas Abinanti
- Harvey Epstein
- Catalina Cruz
- Andrew Hevesi
- Jeffrion Aubry
- Deborah Glick
- Linda Rosenthal
- David Buchwald
- Nathalia Fernandez
- Aravella Simotas
1 Multi-sponsor
History
- Ordered to third reading cal.91
- Advanced to third reading cal.129
- Reported
- Referred to codes
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Ban Immigration Status Blackmail
In Senate Committee · Rules · Sponsor Anna Kaplan
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2144
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 22, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES, BICHOTTE, SEAWRIGHT, STECK, COOK, ORTIZ, LAVINE, COLTON, PERRY, SIMON, ARROYO, BARRON, JAFFEE, HYNDMAN, NIOU, PICHARDO, DE LA ROSA, D'URSO, DAVILA, DICKENS, BLAKE, WILLIAMS, JEAN- PIERRE, WEPRIN, MOSLEY, VANEL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to extortion or coercion related to immigration status
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 4 of section 135.60 of the penal law, as amended by section 1 of part NN of chapter 55 of the laws of 2018, is amended to read as follows:
4. Accuse some person of a crime or cause criminal charges or deportation proceedings to be instituted against him or her; or
§ 2. Subparagraph (iv) of paragraph (e) of subdivision 2 of section 155.05 of the penal law is amended to read as follows:
(iv) Accuse some person of a crime or cause criminal charges or deportation proceedings to be instituted against him or her; or
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05019-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.