Passing the New York State DREAM Act, supporting border children and making sure that New Yorkers can apply for administrative relief are the three items at the top of this year’s Immigrant Equality Agenda. But with Republicans in full control of the state Senate, implementing them seems like a distant possibility.
Compiled annually by immigrant community leaders under the umbrella of the New York Immigration Coalition, the agenda lists what they think are the 10 most important state budget and policy priorities for immigrants. It was unveiled Jan. 5 at simultaneous press conferences on the steps of City Hall, in Westchester and on Long Island.
This was the 18th consecutive year in which immigrant community leaders got together with state and local representatives to urge them to adopt the agenda as a blueprint for state initiatives.
Unveiling the agenda the day before the governor’s State of the State address has become an annual ritual for the city’s immigrant community, although this year Gov. Cuomo’s speech was postponed until Jan. 21 due to his father’s death.
“We are here to say that we are ready to work with New York State to address the immediate needs of our immigrant communities,” said Steven Choi, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition.
The immigration activists are also asking elected officials to work for expanded access to health care and drivers’ licenses regardless of immigration status, and to invest in resources to ensure that all immigrants in detention proceedings have access to legal representation.
The politicians present at the press conferences — all of them Democrats — agreed.
“President Obama took a critical step toward fixing our broken immigration system when he announced sweeping executive action in November,” said Queens state Sen. José Peralta. “Now it’s time for New York to do our part. We must provide the resources necessary to ensure meaningful access to administrative relief and do what it takes to support the child refugees who have reached our shores. Most importantly of all, we must make this the year that we finally pass the DREAM Act.”
“We should be doing everything we can to support (immigrants) because when they do good, we all do well,” said state Sen. Liz Krueger.
Both Peralta and Krueger are right, of course. But being right is usually not a very convincing argument in Albany. Money, though, might be, and as Choi pointed out:
“With New York immigrants responsible for more than $200 billion in economic contributions to New York, it is not only critical but it is imperative that the state address the needs of our communities.”
