In aftermath of Federal Executive Orders on Immigration, New York’s Immigrant Communities Need Services More Than Ever
Today, legal service providers and advocates came together at Foley Square to urge State and City elected leaders to provide the necessary funding in their respective budgets for immigration legal services.
Today 30+ organizations and dozens of students launched the College Opportunity and Resource Expansion (CORE) campaign to extend college affordability for all New York's students, increase rewards for current recipients, expand income thresholds and create a $50 million zero-interest student loan fund.
Today, Donald Trump signed a “Muslim Ban 2.0” executive order targeting travelers and immigrants from six Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen (Iraq was removed from the original list). The new order, meant to avoid the legal challenges against the original executive order, excludes green-card holders and no longer permanently bars Syrian refugees.
"Brick Oven Bread bakery in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn," New Women New Yorkers (NWNY)
The Fiscal Policy Institute has released a new brief on New York State immigrants’ economic contributions. The brief examines the significance of immigrants to our economies, and serves as an effective counterpoint to anti-immigrant economic claims.
On February 28, Donald Trump gave his first speech to Congress. While some in the media have praised its “moderate tone,” Trump actually sketched out a broad assault on immigrants.
What little attention the media has given to Trump’s immigration-related remarks in the speech has focused on his renewed targeting of the undocumented.
On Monday, New York State Education Commissioner Elia and A.G. Schneiderman released joint guidance reminding districts across the State of their duty to uphold key protections for immigrant students. The guidance underscores that all students – regardless of their immigration status – have the right to attend school in the district where they reside and notes that schools should not ask about status.
Last night, President Trump gave his first major speech to a joint session of Congress. Despite rumors of support for legalization of undocumented immigrants, President Trump continued to scapegoat immigrant communities for America’s economic troubles, defend his discriminatory refugee and “backdoor” Muslim ban, and generalize immigrants as “criminals,” including the creation of a new office called Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE). The President also suggested that he is in favor of replacing the country’s successful, longstanding commitment to a family-based immigration system with an untested new “merit-based” immigration system.
“We condemn hate and evil in all of its ugly forms”, stated President Trump during his first joint address to Congress last night, the same man that has just implemented a program designed to politicize grief and deepen the country’s divide.
VOICE -Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement- is part of President Trump’s new plan to “to serve American victims” by “providing a voice to those who have been ignored by our media, and silenced by special interests.
