Fed Lawmakers Decry Passage Of ‘No Sanctuary For Criminals’ Act
Congress members Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) and Yvette Clarke (D-Crown Heights, Flatbush, Midwood, Sheepshead Bay) are decrying the recent passage of the No Sanctuary For Criminals Act (H.R. 3003).
H.R. 3003 would require all states and cities to honor federal detention requests (which are now voluntary), prohibit community trust policies that prevent state and local law enforcement officials from asking people about their immigration status and expands the mandatory detention of undocumented immigrants to include both minor violations and violations that occurred in the past. Sanctuary states and cities that refuse to comply would become ineligible for some grants from the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security.
The legislation passed in the House yesterday by a vote of 228 to 195.
“Mayor de Blasio’s misguided ‘Sanctuary City’ policies have caused Congress to dangerously overreact and threaten the security of millions of innocent people in the New York-Long Island metropolitan area. It’s a cruel irony that security concerns over criminal undocumented immigrants have been given as a rationale for a bill that disembowels the anti-terror apparatus in the world’s top terror target. This bill takes consequences to a dangerous extreme by making New York City ineligible for hundreds of millions of dollars every year that go toward thwarting terror attacks. These dollars have no connection to immigration whatsoever, except for the fact that the NYPD hunts down terror threats and also sometimes arrests illegal aliens,” said Donovan.
“This bill seeks to dehumanize immigrant families by defining them as criminals even for minor violations and, in addition, attempts to disrupt the relationship between state and local governments and individuals who are undocumented. Proponents of the bill have their facts wrong: undocumented Americans commit crimes at dramatically lower rates than United States citizens. But the facts are not important to the supporters of this bill, who have decided to create policy based on stereotypes of immigrants that are, quite frankly, racist. New York City and other cities and states have worked for decades to welcome immigrants into our communities, allowing them to contribute to our civil society and access public services without fear of reprisal,” said Clarke.
Walker Gives Brownsville Houses New Appliances
Assemblywoman Latrice Walker (D-Brownsville) helped allocate over $1 million of state funding for new appliances in the Brownsville Houses recently.
The funding will go towards capital improvements that will be arriving to residents starting June 1st with the last delivery scheduled for June 30th.
In 2015, Walker started a conversation with Governor Andrew Cuomo about the historical lack of investment in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) properties and the need for capital investment in the area. As a result, Cuomo committed to over $3 million dollars of capital investment to projects that include security cameras, lighting, playground improvements, new windows, and other capital projects.
Brownsville Houses, which is home to over 3000 residents, will receive new appliances, including refrigerators and stoves. The new energy efficient appliances will save NYCHA money on the energy cost that continues to rise and also help alleviate the energy load on the Brooklyn Queens Demand Management System (BQDM).
The first delivery is slated for today, June 30, at 550 Mother Gaston Avenue in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
Squadron Celebrates Reopening of BK Bridge Park Pool;Calls For Pool To Remain Open
State Senator Daniel Squadron (D-Northern Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan) celebrated the reopening of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Pop-Up Pool yesterday.
Last summer, Squadron and the “Love Our Pool” coalition successfully pushed to save the pool for this season. The pool initially opened with a five-year contract in 2011, with the understanding that it would close after the 2016 season. However, Squadron has been working with locals and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation to find a permanent plan for the pool.
However, the pool remains at risk of closure, as the City has not yet committed to extending the Summer fixture beyond this season.
“Today’s reopening gives New Yorkers another opportunity to dive-in and enjoy this beloved community amenity for another season. Last summer, over 1,000 community members came together in our call to save the pool — a call ultimately backed by the City and Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation. Now, as we face the potential final season of the pool again, it’s urgent the City commit to keep the pool in place as we continue the push for a permanent pool in the park,” said Squadron.
Squadron continued, ““Active recreation in the park continues to be one of the park’s greatest assets, which is why I secured the pool in 2010. As the ‘Love Our Pool’ pool celebration today highlights, this pool has become an important part of the community and should remain part of the community as we move towards a long-term plan for a pool in the park.”
Hamilton Praises ‘The Campus’ Students’ Visit To Carnegie Hall
State Senator Jesse Hamilton (D-Central Brooklyn) is praising ‘The Campus’ students’ visit to Carnegie Hall last night.
Students from the Brownsville Collaborative Middle School attended a concert and tribute to Sylvia Olden Lee last night at Carnegie Hall. The concert marked the 110th anniversary of Sylvia Olden Lee’s birth.
Hamilton launched “The Campus” in the Fall of 2016 in Brownsville, Brooklyn and it’s the first technology and wellness hub at a public housing site in the United States. Campus students participate in tech, wellness, arts, and workforce development programming in-school and after school. Since the launch, the Campus has expanded to include additional partnerships with schools in Central Brooklyn and will present free Summer 2017 programs for young people.
“Sharing the gift of outstanding performances in an outstanding concert hall is a fitting tribute to an outstanding music educator. Thanks to all the partners putting the concert together this evening. It is my pleasure to help bring Campus students to this tribute concert and renew the music education legacy of Sylvia Olden Lee,” said Hamilton.
Nadler, Donovan React To Passage of Undocumented Immigrant Bill; ‘Kate’s Law’
Congress members Jerrod Nadler (D-Brooklyn/Manhattan) and Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) have differing views on yesterday’s passage of “Kate’s Law.’
The bill, which passed in the House of Representatives with a bipartisan 257-167 margin, imposes increasing prison sentences for undocumented immigrants who reenter the US after multiple misdemeanor and felony convictions.
The bill is a response to Kate Steinle’s tragic 2015 murder, who was fatally shot on July 1, 2015 while strolling on San Francisco’s Embarcadero by a Mexican national who was previously deported five times and convicted of multiple felonies before the shooting.
“I rise in opposition to this bill. This draconian legislation would dramatically expand the penalties for illegal reentry into the US, even for people who have committed minor and non-violent offenses. Although most people who illegally reenter the country do so to reunite with their families, or to flee violence or persecution, this bill considers them all dangerous criminals who deserve lengthy prison sentences. This bill is nothing more than fear-mongering, based on the widely debunked myth that immigrants commit crimes at a higher rate than native-born Americans,” said Nadler.
“This is a policy both sides can come together and support. Any murder is a tragedy, but it’s especially painful when there were so many opportunities to prevent it. Ms. Steinle’s killer never should have been walking the streets, and today’s action is a step towards ensuring similar crimes don’t happen again, said Donovan.
Mosley, Assembly Ensure Mayoral Control
Assembly member Walter Mosley (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights) alongside the State Assembly extended mayoral control of New York City public schools for another two years yesterday.
Following a special session the State Assembly and Senate have decided to continue what has been done since 2002, when the Mayor of New York City and the Department of Education work to run the city’s schools.
The New York City public school system is one of the largest in the country, and even with mayoral control, the state still has oversight and input into how the schools are run. However, mayoral control allows for more effective reform and quick action in the face of failing schools.
“Our students have had success under mayoral control. We can look at graduation rates and drop-out levels to see the proof. Our graduation rates are up to 72% and our drop-outs are the lowest they have ever been. We did not see this type of progress before mayoral control. Experts and leaders of both parties agree that mayoral control is what is best for our students, and I am pleased the state finally renewed this mandate,” said Mosley.
Mosley continued, “To remove oversight and accountability of a school system that serves over 1 million students is to gamble with our future. I am thankful that our schools will continue the great work they have been doing. This will surely have positive impacts for our students, and continue the upward trajectory of New York City public schools.”
