Adams Denounces Trump Decision To End Haitian TPS
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams denounced the President Trump’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants yesterday.
On Monday, the Trump administration decided not to renew TPS for nearly 60,000 Haitians with provisional legal residency in the country. The new measure will give TPS recipients 18 months to leave the country after having remained in the U.S. for more than seven years. The decision was made after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) determined that the “extraordinary conditions” justifying their presence here following a 2010 earthquake “no longer exist,” said a senior administration official to the Washington Post.
“I am deeply dismayed in the Trump Administration’s poor decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for almost 60,000 Haitians who have been peacefully living and working in our country since the devastating earthquake of 2010. While many of us had feared this, we are no less heartbroken over the impact this will have on thousands of immigrant families in our borough,” said Adams.
“Brooklyn is the Port-au-Prince of America, and we will not abandon our Haitian brothers and sisters in the callous manner that this White House plans to do. My administration will work closely with our legislative partners and local stakeholders to provide the legal support and intervention needed to stem this impending crisis and keep families together,” added Adams.
Donovan Applauds North Korea’s Designation As State Sponsor of Terrorism
Congressman Dan Donovan (R-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) applauded President Trump for placing North Korea back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism yesterday.
The designation, announced on Monday, according to initial reports, allows the United States to impose more sanctions on Pyongyang, which is pursuing nuclear weapons and missile programs in defiance of United Nations Security Council sanctions.
The decision comes off the heels of a 12-day trip to Asia in which President Trump focused his efforts on the denuclearization of the “Hermit Kingdom”. In recent months the Trump Administration and the North Korean regime have been at odds over Pyongyang’s development of nuclear missiles.
In August, Trump promised to unleash a “fire and fury like the world has never seen” on North Korea after the country held its first two tests of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Kim Jong-Un later followed with a threat to bomb U.S. controlled Guam.
“North Korea’s aggressive actions, including repeated missile launches and its ongoing nuclear weapons program, represent an imminent threat to U.S. and global security interests. This rogue regime is a menace to the world and must be met with strength,” said Donovan.
Walker Presents 3rd Annual Senior Thanksgiving Celebration
Assembly member Latrice Walker (D-Brownsville) in conjunction with Councilwoman-Elect Alicka Ampry-Samuel and Police Service Area 2, will present the 3rd Annual Senior Thanksgiving Celebration this week.
The event is open to all seniors in the 55thAssembly District and 41st City Council District. The celebration will include a dinner, entertainment and gifts for the seniors present.
The event is slated for 11 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 23, at Mount Ararat Senior Center, at 1630 St. Marks Avenue in Brownsville.
Hikind Applauds Justice Department’s Vow To Remove Ex-Nazi Guard Living in Queens
Assembly member Dov Hikind (D-Borough Park) applauded the U.S. Department of Justice’s decision to remove ex-Nazi Jakiw Palij from the United States yesterday.
Jakiw Palij is a convicted Nazi guard who supported the Nazi regime during the Holocaust and served at the Trawniki training camp, where Nazi troops were trained to carry out the extermination of Polish Jews. Palij came to America claiming that he was a farmer and war refugee, concealing his work as a Nazi guard, and was granted citizenship in 1957. After his past became known, he was stripped of his U.S. citizenship and a deportation order was upheld by the courts in 2004. However to date, Palij remains a resident of Queens while the U.S. government struggles to appeal to the German, Ukraine and Polish governments to accept him.
In June, Hikind and his late colleague Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz (D-Queens) led 83 members of the New York State Assembly, including Majority Leader Joseph D. Morelle, in urging U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to finally deport Palij.
In a letter from Stephen E. Boyd, the U.S. Assistant Attorney General, to Hikind, the Department promised Palij’s removal, “The Department agrees fully that Palij should not live out his last days in this country. The Department remains committed to ensuring that justice is done in this case and we will continue, in cooperation with our interagency partners, to pursuing every avenue for effectuating Palij’s removal.”
“The rights and freedoms we enjoy in America should not extend to those who facilitated the death of countless innocent people. Palij’s presence here mocks the memory of the millions who perished. There is no question of his guilt. It is imperative that someone responsible for Nazi atrocities be held accountable for his crimes, regardless of his age,” said Hikind.
Harris Helps Deliver New Appliances to NYCHA Gravesend Houses
Assembly member Pamela Harris (D-Coney Island, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights) announced the delivery of new appliances to the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) Gravesend Houses last week.
Harris fought to ensure the grant funding for the new appliances and several other housing improvement projects across the community earlier this year. The funding totaled $259,940 for the Gravesend Houses, which included new functioning appliances to help restore the necessary comforts of living, such as refrigerators and gas stoves to homes damaged by Superstorm Sandy.
“Our community was dealt a devastating blow during Superstorm Sandy, but we are recovering stronger than before. I’m so proud to stand with my friends and neighbors as we deliver these much needed appliances and ensure that we can all go back to living our lives comfortably,” said Harris.
“It’s so important for us to deliver these appliances to those in need. I will continue working to ensure that everyone who has been forced to continue dealing with the impact of Sandy get the resources they need to return to normal,” added Harris.
