Rage Against the Machine guitar hero Tom Morello swapped stadium lights for street chants on Tuesday, turning up at a midday protest outside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan. The rally drew immigrant-rights organizers, legal-aid volunteers and union members who have been tracking immigration court check-ins throughout the year. Morello told the crowd his appearance was personal, saying a close family friend was recently taken into ICE custody, then led a stripped-back verse of “This Land Is Your Land.”
According to amNY, Morello performed a verse of Woody Guthrie’s anthem and praised the New York For All Act as “an inspiration and template for action,” a description organizers and witnesses at the scene echoed. He also described his detained friend as having been “kidnapped” by ICE, and urged supporters to back state protections that would curb local cooperation with federal immigration agents. Murad Awawdeh of the New York Immigration Coalition joined other speakers at the mic as the crowd pressed for change.
Federal Plaza Has Been A Flashpoint
Advocates say 26 Federal Plaza has become a focal point for courthouse detentions since mid-2025. Investigations and video footage have highlighted a 10th-floor holding area where people have at times been kept overnight and for days. The City documented the hold-room footage and analyzed ICE data that helped fuel legal challenges and a steady stream of protests wrapping around the building.
Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, stood alongside speakers and amplified calls for passage of the New York For All Act, which advocates say would prevent local and state agencies from assisting with routine civil immigration enforcement. The coalition and allied groups have mounted multiple rallies and lobbying pushes in Albany this spring in an effort to move the bill. New York Immigration Coalition materials outline the bill’s goals and the recent organizing blitz behind it.
What Passing New York For All Would Mean
If enacted, the New York For All Act (S.2235B/A.3506B) would broadly bar state and local officials from knowingly providing personnel, data or access to ICE for civil immigration enforcement. The measure would tighten rules around information-sharing and require judicial oversight for certain entries. Supporters say the bill is designed to lock in limits on cooperation that they argue have blurred in recent months, even as some elements were narrowed during budget negotiations. Reporting by City & State provides the most recent legislative context and debates.
Morello’s appearance in Lower Manhattan follows a run of benefit concerts and solidarity appearances earlier this year that paired musicians with immigrant-rights campaigns, giving organizers a higher-profile platform for their policy demands. NME and other outlets have tracked Morello’s recent protest-focused performances, and advocates at Federal Plaza said they plan to keep pressure on Albany and outside the building until lawmakers act.
