Inside Government is a Q&A series that gives New Yorkers a glimpse inside the role of the elected officials who represent them. This edition of Inside Government with PoliticsNY features New York State Assembly Member Catalina Cruz. Assembly Member Cruz represents the 39th Assembly District in Queens which includes the neighborhoods of Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, as well as parts of Middle Village and Rego Park.
What piece of legislation are you most proud to have passed this legislative session?
This year, I passed a bill to protect health care workers from violence on the job. Nurses and frontline staff – many of them women, immigrants, and people of color – are being assaulted while doing their work. The legislation requires hospitals to create and implement real violence prevention plans. It passed with strong support from hospital associations, unions, and professional organizations.
How does your office work to support your constituents in their day-to-day lives?
We fight for our community inside and outside the Capitol. My team helps families avoid eviction, access food, apply for immigration relief, and navigate city and state services. We speak our constituents’ languages, meet them where they are, and treat every case with urgency. Our job is to make government accessible, responsive, and rooted in the realities working-class immigrant families face daily.
What is the most prevalent issue facing your constituents and how are you working to resolve it?
Immigration remains our community’s most urgent crisis. Families are being ripped apart – picked up by ICE or denied due process. We partner with NYLAG, La Victoria, and others to provide free legal help and host know-your-rights clinics. We’ve seen lives saved when an attorney is present. That’s why I fought for over $64 million this year to expand immigration legal services statewide.
What do you hope to accomplish by the end of 2025?
By year’s end, I want to deepen the impact of our work on the ground – expanding our immigration clinics, growing our tenant support network, and connecting more families to life-saving services. We’re building infrastructure for justice that lasts beyond any single bill.
What is the proudest moment of your political career?
Passing the Clean Slate Act was the proudest moment of my career. It automatically seals old criminal records for New Yorkers who have completed their sentences and remained crime-free. We built a coalition of unlikely allies, from major employers to unions and justice advocates, to fight for second chances. This law is about dignity, opportunity, and ending the lifelong punishment that keeps so many trapped in cycles of poverty.
