A City Council member representing Queens is calling on the mayor to stop talking and start acting to protect immigrants in New York City.
In a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio, Councilman Rory Lancman voiced his concerns about what the city is doing to counteract policies of the Trump administration, specifically efforts to curtail immigration.
Lancman notes in the letter that even though the city has promised to “defend the immigrants living among us,” they are still exposed to deportation because of minor, nonviolent offenses that are criminalized by President Trump, even though there are more humane options are readily available for holding people accountable for their actions.
“In 2015 there were nearly 30,000 New Yorkers arrested for fare evasion and charged under a section of New York state penal law that qualifies as a deportable offense under federal immigration law,” Lancman wrote, “even though it is completely within your authority to direct the NYPD to process such cases as civil violations of the MTA’s rules (akin to getting a parking ticket) which is not a deportation trigger.”
Lancman concludes the letter saying that now is the time to act.
“Talk is cheap. It’s time to act,” wrote Lancman. “Stop jeopardizing immigrant New Yorkers through overzealous and expensive policing strategies when fairer, saner alternatives already exist.”
Lancman tweeted the entire letter, which can be found here:
Skipping $2.75 subway fare lets #Trump deport immigrants; @NYCMayor can block — if he acts #talkischeap pic.twitter.com/i988RkQjpn
— (((Rory Lancman))) (@RoryLancman) January 27, 2017
