NEW YORK—A small group of immigrant community leaders gathered at City Hall Monday to urge Albany politicians to stop monkeying around and focus on issues.
“At a moment when so much is at stake for the people of our state, the political power plays that have ground the State Senate to a halt are jeopardizing crucial reforms needed to improve the lives of immigrant families and all New Yorkers,” said Ms. Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition. “Too much is on the line to allow raw politics to derail these long-overdue policy reforms.”
The group said the political upsets in Albany recently have left several bills hanging and the impact on the immigrant community is huge. The legislation includes improvements to conditions for farm workers and domestic workers, preservation of rent-regulated housing, and improvement of New York City’s school governance system.
Richard Lee, advocacy associate for Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) was at the press conference Monday. He said he hoped the officials would get legislation back on track that will help numerous low-income families and individuals.
“One piece of legislation AAFE is especially concerned with is vacancy decontrol,” Lee said. “New York City is facing the rapid loss of affordable housing.”
“Having strong rent regulation laws slows gentrification and the displacement of our long-time community members.”
Lee said immigrants and limited English speakers have been particularly vulnerable because landlords take advantage of cultural and linguistic barriers.
“Tenants are refused lease renewals, essential structural problems go unrepaired, and heat and hot water are turned off in the coldest winter days,” Lee said.
Leticia Alanis, co-director of La Union, a community group based in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, said the State Senate must put together a meaningful school governance package.
She said the state legislature has only two weeks left to create “a real plan for reversing the dropout crisis facing immigrant students learning English, and take an innovative and comprehensive approach to engaging parents and youth as partners in our schools—the first step of which should be to create an independent center for parent and student training.”
“At a moment when so much is at stake for the people of our state, the political power plays that have ground the State Senate to a halt are jeopardizing crucial reforms needed to improve the lives of immigrant families and all New Yorkers,” said Ms. Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition. “Too much is on the line to allow raw politics to derail these long-overdue policy reforms.”
The group said the political upsets in Albany recently have left several bills hanging and the impact on the immigrant community is huge. The legislation includes improvements to conditions for farm workers and domestic workers, preservation of rent-regulated housing, and improvement of New York City’s school governance system.
Richard Lee, advocacy associate for Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) was at the press conference Monday. He said he hoped the officials would get legislation back on track that will help numerous low-income families and individuals.
“One piece of legislation AAFE is especially concerned with is vacancy decontrol,” Lee said. “New York City is facing the rapid loss of affordable housing.”
“Having strong rent regulation laws slows gentrification and the displacement of our long-time community members.”
Lee said immigrants and limited English speakers have been particularly vulnerable because landlords take advantage of cultural and linguistic barriers.
“Tenants are refused lease renewals, essential structural problems go unrepaired, and heat and hot water are turned off in the coldest winter days,” Lee said.
Leticia Alanis, co-director of La Union, a community group based in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, said the State Senate must put together a meaningful school governance package.
She said the state legislature has only two weeks left to create “a real plan for reversing the dropout crisis facing immigrant students learning English, and take an innovative and comprehensive approach to engaging parents and youth as partners in our schools—the first step of which should be to create an independent center for parent and student training.”
