March 18, 2026
Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning) joined his Republican colleagues at a press conference demanding changes to bail reform laws and sanctuary policies. This comes in the wake of an incident where three Salvadoran migrants, two of whom were here in the country illegally, were found with Molotov cocktails. Because of soft-on-crime policies in New York, specifically bail reform, they were released back onto the streets, and because of the Protect Our Courts Act, federal agents were unable to arrest them at the courthouse for immigration offenses.
To combat this, Palmesano and his colleagues are pushing for the passage of the common-sense “Laken’s Law,” which would increase public safety and hold criminals accountable. Specifically, it would:
– Require law enforcement and courts to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when an arrested or convicted person is a non-citizen.
– Reinstate harsher penalties, including deportation consequences for certain crimes.
– Repeal the Protect Our Courts Act.
“The role of government should be to protect law-abiding citizens, not dangerous and violent criminals, but unfortunately, under one-party control in Albany, this has not been the case. There is no logical reason why people who are in our country illegally and in possession of Molotov cocktails should be released back onto our streets, yet it happened. We need to pass ‘Laken’s Law.” How much longer do we have to subject New Yorkers to violence before we decide changes must be made? If Democrats are serious about public safety, they will join us and pass this important piece of legislation,” said Palmesano.
