Former NYS Meeting Member Michael Blake (79th District).
Picture by Milette Millington
Candidates operating for NYC Mayor highlighted their plans for immigration coverage and its proposed results on these communities on April 16 throughout the hybrid discussion board hosted by the CUNY College of Labor and City Research (CUNY SLU), which was co-sponsored by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC).
The discussion board was held from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. The Democratic candidates in attendance had been NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, Former NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, NYS Senator Zellnor Myrie (twentieth District), Zohran Mamdani, and Michael Blake. NYC Mayor Eric Adams, former NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo, NYS Senator Jessica Ramos (thirteenth District), Whitney Tilson, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, and Impartial candidate Jim Walden didn’t present up.
The candidates first mentioned how they’d consider the present state of town’s sanctuary legal guidelines given the Trump administration’s nature and whether or not they would make any adjustments to them.
Former NYS Meeting Member Michael Blake (79th District), who’s the son of Jamaican immigrants, stated, “ICE has no business here, whether it be at Rikers, whether our places of worship, whether we have schools. We are a sanctuary city; we will continue to be a sanctuary city. We will make sure that our communities are protected in every possible way. All of us are intertwined at this moment.”
Blake added that the adjustments he’d make to the present sanctuary legal guidelines would come with rising authorized protections for the 180,000 immigrants who don’t constantly have them and ensuring that each time Donald Trump and the federal authorities come for them, the State is critical in its assaults towards the administration.
The candidates additionally mentioned the Metropolis Council invoice Native Legislation 18 of 2021, which shall be reintroduced on April 24 as T2025-3413, which might require supply staff to have e-bike licenses, and whether or not they’d assist it.
NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.Picture by Milette Millington
Council Speaker Adams responded, “Our focus again has to be on the livelihood of those who are trying to make a living, and that is where the heart of my work is. I always say I legislate the way that I live. If I can’t represent my neighbor, then I don’t know what my neighbor is going through, suffering through, or dealing with.”
She added that her focus as mayor shall be on guaranteeing that immigrants who’ve come and those that will come to New York have a wide range of job alternatives accessible, regardless of President Trump’s efforts to make it difficult for these residing within the state working arduous to make a residing.
NYC Comptroller Brad Lander. Picture by Milette Millington
As well as, the candidates additionally shared what they’d do to guard immigrant staff in New York Metropolis from wage theft. Comptroller Lander shared that the Comptroller’s workplace has been engaged on this, saying that the workplace has recovered over $9 million for staff, principally immigrants, who had their wages stolen.
“We created an employer violations dashboard for the first time that tracks city, state, and federal workplace violations. So, you can connect the dots because it’s often the same employer who has done wage theft, that has also had an unfair labor practice, that also violated OSHA guidelines, that also denied their worker paid sick days,” Lander defined.
Lander additionally proposes creating the first-ever Mayor’s Workplace of Employees Rights. If he turns into mayor, he stated he would set up an workplace that might do exactly this: discover the patterns, add enforcement capability, and join the dots concerning immigrant employee safety from wage theft.
NYS Senator Zellnor Myrie (twentieth District). Picture by Milette Millington
State Senator Myrie additionally shared his assist for combating towards this challenge, highlighting that he has supported laws that might enhance the penalties for wage theft.
“I think that is something that I would continue to advocate for as the next mayor. We have a Supreme Court in the United States that is hostile to labor rights, that is hostile to the NLRB, and it’s going to be more important than ever that we have a robust Department of Consumer and Worker Protection,” Myrie said.
Myrie strongly believes that New York Metropolis shall be a frontrunner for the remainder of the nation in defending susceptible staff throughout the Trump administration.
“I think we have to do more Know Your Rights outreach to ensure that people know that the City has their back, and with the law department, I think we have an opportunity to be utilizing every legal tool at our disposal to ensure that we’re protecting ourselves, expanding our Commission on Human Rights, ensuring that people have the protections that they need,” he continued.
