By Patrick Donachie
The best way to confront the fear and apprehension in New York’s immigrant communities is to ensure that information on their rights is readily available and accurate, representatives of state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said during a forum on immigrant rights last week in Richmond Hill.
“The most important thing is to have a plan,” ReNika Moore, the attorney general’s Labor Bureau chief, said regarding the question of what to do if officials from the Immigration and Custom Enforcement Agency approach immigrants with a warrant.
The forum, held at the Boys and Girls Club at 110-04 Atlantic Ave. on April 7, was attended by state Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), as well as representatives of numerous other elected officials and assorted community leaders. Comrie said the forum was a substantial step towards ensuring better communication between Schneiderman’s office and Queens communities like Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park, which have substantial immigrant populations.
Moore was joined by Nancy Trasande, an assistant attorney general in Schneiderman’s Civil Rights Bureau, and Najah Farley, an assistant attorney general in the department’s Labor Bureau. The panelists detailed the bureau’s approach to investigations and prosecutions of unfair labor practices. The attorneys said they often seek out patterns of questionable practices that, if alleviated, could lead to the greatest potential impact for workers around the state.
Moore stressed that it was vital for community members, like those who attended, to be the bureau’s eyes, ears and advertisers.
“We know we’re not going to reach every worker … and often the most marginalized workers will never walk into our offices,” Moore told attendees. “We are trying to make sure we reach the people who can reach the people, and make sure the information is accurate.”
The panelists also supplied copies of the attorney general’s guidance about how local authorities must participate in federal immigration enforcement actions. The panelists stressed that police officers would not question someone’s immigration status, and that people who were questioned or approached by ICE officials only had to submit to a warrant if it was a judicial warrant signed by a judge, as opposed to an administrative warrant.
One attendee suggested that Schneiderman’s office could make more inroads with community and ethnic media, as well as faith-based organizations in the area, in order to better reach immigrant populations. Dr. Neeta Jain, the Democratic district leader in the 25th Assembly District, expressed her concern that the fear enveloping immigrant communities was already having severe emotional and economic implications.
“They don’t want to come from Queens to Manhattan, so it’s affecting their mental health,” Jain said regarding immigrants anxious about rumors of ICE officials apprehending people. “They are frightened.”
Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdona
