Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he has directed the New York State Police to create a hate crime investigation unit, in response to a number of racial incidents reported around the state since the presidential election Nov. 8.
"Fliers promoting the KKK were found on parked cars in Patchogue, Long Island. A swastika was discovered on the B Train in Manhattan. In Wellsville, outside of Buffalo, someone painted a swastika surrounded by the words 'Make America White Again'," Cuomo said during a speech at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City Sunday.
Cuomo said the new unit will investigate all reports of hate crimes -- whether major, minor, and infractions.
In response to a proposal by President-elect Donald Trump to deport as many as 2-3 million immigrants, Cuomo said if there is a move to deport immigrants, start with him.
"I am a son of immigrants. The son of Mario Cuomo, who is the son of Andrea Cuomo, a poor, Italian immigrant who came to this country without a job, without money, without resources and he was here only for the promise of America," Cuomo said.
Cuomo also said he will announce in January a plan to expand the state's Human Rights law to all students in New York state. Under the current law, only students in private schools are covered by the law.
The governor also hopes to establish a public-private legal defense fund for immigrants who cannot afford their own defense, regardless of their legal status. According to the governor's office, this fund would be the first of it's kind in the nation.