City Council Member Carlos Menchaca (D-Red Hook, Sunset Park) yesterday led other lawmakers and more than two-dozen DREAMers gathered on the steps of City Hall to rally state and federal lawmakers to pass a clean Dream Act before the year’s end.
In September, President Donald Trump rescinded the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program calling on Congress to create long-standing legislation for DACA recipients no later than March of 2018. The policy provided a two-year period of deferred action for minors who entered or were in the U.S. illegally. There are 800,000 DACA recipients across the country of which 30,000 live in New York City.
“What we are here to do is to send a strong message to Washington like we always do as New Yorkers,” said Menchaca, chair of the Council’s Immigration Committee.
Menchaca sponsored Resolution 1484-A this May, denouncing the termination of DACA and calling on state and federal governments to pass the NYS DREAM Act of 2017 and federal DREAM Act of 2017.
“New York City has demonstrated it’s full commitment to protecting our immigrants,” said Menchaca. “Even when our federal government has continued with insults, attacks and unconstitutional actions our lawyers, especially our top lawyer [New York State Attorney General] Eric Schneiderman, are coming out in full force.”
The council member went on to highlight the legislation the city has passed to protect DREAMers, pointing out efforts to secure sensitive identity data, shield students from ICE enforcers and fund legal services for undocumented immigrants.
This final push for Congress to create longstanding DACA legislation comes on the heels of some Democratic lawmakers bucking the most recent tax reform. However, no solution resulted in the legislative standoff.
“Congress must pass this clean DREAM Act before the end of the year, before they go back to their families.” said Menchaca.
Some speakers pointed out the financial clutch DACA recipients have on the city, implying their absence would cripple the city.
“We know and its been widely reported about the economic engine that are the undocumented Americans that live here,” said Assembly Member Carmen De LaRosa (D-Manhattan). “We know that they contribute both to city and state taxes by the billions.”
De LaRosa shared a touching story of a constituent living in sanctuary at a church in her district. The Assembly member pledged to make DREAMer legislation a priority when she returns to Albany.
“Let’s be clear, if the federal government fails to act on the DREAM Act, the state of New York has a responsibility to pass the DREAM Act,” said De LaRosa.
Immediately following the rally, Menchaca and City Council Members Rafael Espinal (D-East New York, Bushwick, Cypress Hill), Mathieu Eugene (D-Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, Ditmas Park), Peter Koo (D-Bayside, College Point, Flushing, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Fresh Meadows, Whitestone) and Daniel Dromm (D-East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights) unanimously voted in favor of the resolution.
