This year we defended our communities. In June, when the Supreme Court froze President Obama’s newest immigration relief program, we mobilized. Within hours, we began providing round-the-clock immigration screenings and training to the thousands who lined up outside our offices. We brought our message into the streets, winning powerful coverage in the nation’s leading publications.

Then, on November 9, we woke up to our worst nightmare. Community members flooded our offices to grieve, share stories, and plan our next steps. Within days, as the president-elect reiterated his plan to ramp up deportations, we mobilized 15,000 people in Manhattan, sending a defiant message: We are here to stay.

As we approach the end of 2016, we are preparing for the dark days to come. We are working to ensure that New York remains a leader in policies — from IDNYC to universal pre-k — that support immigrants and working people. We are exploring all possible ways to defend President Obama’s first immigration program, which has already provided desperately-needed relief from family separation to hundreds of thousands of young people.

Like never before, we are buckling down to defend our communities. Never before have our lives depended so much on our work. And never before have we been so determined to succeed.