For Media Contact, further inquiries or interview requests, please contact:
Uchechukwu Onwa - admin@bdlinitiative.org

The Black Diaspora Liberty Initiative (BDLI) proudly celebrates the historic passage of the Dignity Not Detention Act through the New York State budget, a landmark victory in the ongoing fight to end immigrant detention, protect immigrant communities, and affirm the dignity and humanity of all people.

This victory did not happen overnight. It is the result of years of organizing, advocacy, coalition building, storytelling, and the relentless leadership of directly impacted immigrants who refused to stay silent in the face of injustice. For years, Black migrants, LGBTQ+ immigrants, asylum seekers, advocates, faith leaders, and community organizers have traveled to Albany, rallied outside detention centers, met with legislators, and courageously shared painful truths about detention, family separation, and displacement.

At BDLI, we are especially proud of our directly impacted members who showed up year after year to share their stories and lived experiences with lawmakers not only for themselves, but for the countless people still trapped inside detention facilities across New York.

Their stories transformed statistics into lived realities. Their courage challenged lawmakers to confront the human cost of detention. Their leadership helped move this campaign from possibility to victory.

The Dignity Not Detention Act represents a significant step toward ending New York's complicity in immigrant detention by preventing the state from entering into or renewing contracts with ICE detention facilities.

For Black immigrants who are disproportionately targeted within immigration enforcement systems and often face harsher treatment inside detention facilities, this legislation represents an important acknowledgment that our communities deserve dignity, protection, and freedom.

"This victory means so much to me personally and politically," said Uchechukwu Onwa, Executive Director of the Black Diaspora Liberty Initiative (BDLI).

"As someone who has organized deeply within this campaign and stood alongside directly impacted immigrants fighting for dignity and freedom, I am incredibly proud to witness this moment. I have watched our members travel to Albany year after year, reliving painful experiences of detention, separation, and displacement in order to push legislators toward action. Their courage and vulnerability should never be taken lightly.

The passage of the Dignity Not Detention Act is proof that when directly impacted communities organize, share our truths, and refuse to give up, we can transform pain into power and power into policy.

But while we celebrate this victory, we must also remember that the fight is not over. True justice will only come when every single person detained in New York facilities is released, reunited with their loved ones, and protected from transfer into other detention centers across the country.

This moment should strengthen our commitment to continue fighting for a world where no human being is criminalized for migrating in search of safety, survival, and freedom."

Directly Impacted Voices

At the heart of this victory are the immigrants, asylum seekers, and formerly detained community members who courageously shared their stories and demanded change. Their voices remind us what is truly at stake in the fight to end detention.

Penny, BDLI Member and Outreach & Engagement Coordinator, shared:

"We are immigrants. We are human. We are workers, neighbors, caregivers, and community members who help hold this country together. We deserve to be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.

Many of us came to the United States fleeing hate, violence, discrimination, and injustice in search of safety, freedom, and opportunity. Yet too many members of our community continue to face the same fear, discrimination, and dehumanization in a nation that claims to stand for liberty and justice for all.

I call on the federal government to end the detention and deportation of our community members and to uphold the dignity, humanity, and human rights of every immigrant person.

We choose humanity over fear and dignity over detention. We are powerful. We are resilient. And we are here to stay."

Issabella Fernandez, a BDLI member, added:

"We are not the problem, we are part of the solution. Our families deserve safety, dignity, and justice. No human being is illegal, and borders should never erase our humanity. Detention destroys families, while dignity builds communities. Migration is human; cruelty is a choice.

We rise together or we fall divided. I believe in a world where compassion is stronger than fear, where love is greater than exclusion, and where every person, regardless of where they were born, is treated with dignity and respect. Hope has no nationality."

Page, a BDLI member who participated in advocacy efforts in Albany, reflected:

"Every time I traveled to Albany, I carried not only my own story but the stories of people still trapped in detention. Seeing this bill passed is emotional because it shows that our pain, our resilience, and our advocacy were not ignored. This is a victory worth celebrating, and a reminder that our fight for freedom and dignity continues."

Jay, a formerly detained BDLI member, shared:

"For me, this victory is proof that our voices matter. As directly impacted immigrants, we have spent years sharing our experiences and urging lawmakers to see our humanity. The passage of the Dignity Not Detention Act shows that our stories can create change. It gives me hope that one day no family will have to endure the pain and uncertainty that detention causes."

The Fight Continues

While this legislation marks a historic milestone, BDLI recognizes that many individuals remain detained, separated from their families, and vulnerable to transfer into detention facilities outside New York.

We remain committed to:

• Fighting for the release of all detained immigrants

• Ending ICE detention everywhere

• Protecting Black LGBTQ+ migrants navigating criminalization and displacement

• Building a future rooted in dignity, care, and liberation
  

This victory belongs to every organizer, every directly impacted person, every family member, every faith leader, every advocate, and every community that refused to stop fighting.

Today, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we will continue organizing.

Because our communities deserve more than survival. We deserve dignity. We deserve freedom. And we will continue fighting until every person is released from detention, reunited with their loved ones, and able to live safely within their community.

About Black Diaspora Liberty Initiative (BDLI)

The Black Diaspora Liberty Initiative (BDLI) is a grassroots organization dedicated to supporting Black LGBTQ+ immigrants through community care, advocacy, leadership development, and direct support services. BDLI works to ensure that Black LGBTQ+ migrants navigating displacement, detention, and systemic exclusion have access to resources, safety, and pathways to thrive, while working towards uniting the Black LGBTQ+ communities in the diaspora.