I want to thank your newspaper for your June 17 editorial “Arizona’s Hate Draws Anger Here,” which was critical of Arizona’s anti-immigrant law.
New York is a city built by immigrants. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, Corona, LeFrak City, Woodside and Rego Park. Recent immigrants comprise over 60 percent of my diverse and culturally rich district. As chair of the City Council Immigration Committee, I am committed to ensuring our city remains a place where all our residents can achieve the American Dream.
I proudly stood with clergy, community leaders and my Council colleagues in protest before the Manhattan headquarters of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. My arrest not only drew attention to the unjust Arizona law, but also made a statement that we here in New York City will stand up for our immigrants.
Recently, the Council passed a resolution calling for comprehensive immigration reform and condemning Arizona’s draconian measure. This measure, the enforcement of which seemingly has to rely on racial profiling, is an affront to all our civil rights.
The just and humane approach is for Congress to pass and the president to sign a law that will create a path to legalization for our families, friends and neighbors. The current situation is untenable. Young adults are unable to go college. Same-sex, binational couples are torn apart. Families live in constant fear.
Let us work to together to make our country a better place for us all.
Councilman Daniel Dromm
Chairman
City Council Immigration Committee
D-Jackson Heights
