By Gina Martinez
President-elect Donald Trump has made immigrants in Queens nervous with his campaign rhetoric to build a wall to keep out Mexicans and to deport illegal residents.
Several Queens lawmakers have said they have gotten calls from constituents asking what can be done.
“I represent the most diverse district in the entire country with over 200 nationalities,” state Assemblyman Francisco Moya (D-Jackson Heights) said. “A lot of immigrants have concerns with this new administration coming in.”
Moya held a press conference at City Hall Wednesday morning in defense of DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, asking that President Obama pardon all DACA students in the country. DACA is an executive action from Obama that allows undocumented immigrants who entered the country at a young age to work temporarily for a fee and avoid deportation. DACA is under threat because it can be immediately overturned by Trump’s administration.
“It’s an important step,” he said. “In New York we have a sanctuary state where you don’t have to fear being stopped for your immigration status. The importance of it is calming the fear, to push for different thing we can do before Obama leaves, especially a pardon to be able to go to school and get an education.”
Moya said that in the upcoming months there are several rallies being planned.
On Election Day Latina women in particular came out in large numbers at PS 69 in Jackson Heights to vote against Trump because of his anti- immigrant stance.
“I’m a Republican, but I’m voting for Hillary. What Trump has said about Latinos is inexcusable,” said Angelina Ramirez, a longtime resident of Jackson Heights. “There’s no way I could vote for him.”
Maria Vera, another Jackson Heights resident, also voted against Trump.
“Latinos have a voice. Voting is an opportunity to have a place in this country,” Vera said. “Donald Trump was my motivation to vote. He said too many terrible things for me not to act on it.”
On Sunday 15,000 people gathered in protest against Trump’s immigration policy. Make the Road New York, based in Jackson Heights, was part of the team that organized the march outside of Trump International Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. The organization works to empower minorities and the working class, especially immigrants, through legal services, education and job training in Queens.
The march was led by a 20 foot banner that read “Aqui estamos, y no nos vamos!” which translated from the Spanish says “we are here, and we are not going anywhere.” The march was meant to show the determination and resilience of the Latino community that strongly opposes Trump’s anti-immigrant policies.
Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmart
