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New York · 2025-2026 General Assembly
S09257Enacts the Voices of Immigrant Communities Empowering Survivors (VOICES) Act which provides certification to certain immigrant victims of qualifying criminal activity.
Requires state and local law enforcement and other entities to issue U and T visa certifications to qualifying immigrant crime victims upon request (with deadlines, presumptions of helpfulness, confidentiality rules, and reporting), and repeals an existing law on law enforcement assistance withimm
A certifying entity or official may certify a Form I-918, Supplement B, or a Form I-914, Supplement B certification for direct victims, indirect victims, and bystander or witness victims.
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Immigration enforcementstate federal cooperationAI label
Mandates that certifying entities (including law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, and others) must process and issue immigration-related certifications for U/T visa purposes within set deadlines, with a rebuttable presumption of victim helpfulness, confidentiality protections against disclosing
Upon the request of a victim or a petitioner, a certifying official shall, in writing, certify that a victim has been helpful on a certification form designated by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services if: (i) the victim is a victim of qualifying criminal activity or human trafficking; and (ii) the victim has been helpful, is being helpful or is likely to be helpful to the detection or investigation or prosecution of the qualifying criminal activity or human trafficking.
✓ Quote verified word for word in the bill text
Filed (completed)
Committee
Passed one chamber
Passed both
Governor
Law
Status: Died (session ended)
Last action
2026-02-19: REFERRED TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION
Why the model tagged it this way: The bill enacts a state law requiring law enforcement, prosecutors, judges and other entities to issue federal U and T visa certifications to immigrant victims of listed crimes upon request, with strict timelines, a presumption of helpfulness, confidentiality of immigration status, and annual reporting. It also repeals Social Services Law § 483-dd on law enforcement assistance with immigration. These provisions limit discretionary non-cooperation with federal immigration processes for victims and expand mandated assistance, restricting the scope of state/local limits on immigration enforcement
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