Albany Legislators Can’t Repeat Redistricting Commission’s Failure to Create Fair District Maps

New York, NY (January 4, 2022) - This morning, the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission released two sets of draft maps after failing to reach bipartisan consensus. The maps detail the districts for New York’s congressional and state legislative seats. With the Democrats holding a very narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, these maps will have a national impact. These drafts are not final, and the initiative now passes to the state legislature, who must draw and pass their own set of maps.

Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, NYIC Action:

“This morning The NYS Independent Redistricting Commission has wholly failed in its core mission to present New Yorkers with a single non-partisan map that protects minority voting rights and is fully inclusive of public input. Despite this commission’s failures, there exists a wealth of public input, provided by hundreds of ordinary New Yorkers. Albany legislators must seize on this information and deliver the fairest maps possible to the voters of this state. To that end, the New York Immigration Coalition calls on the state legislature to utilize the trove of public input collected by the redistricting commission to produce fair maps, and to hold a public hearing immediately after their maps are finalized.”

Background:

The NYIC Action is the lead facilitator of the Mapping Our Future campaign, a statewide coalition of 100+ grassroots organizations that are engaged in sustained and sophisticated political advocacy, to protect immigrants and communities of colors’ power in the redistricting process.

###

NYIC Action’s Slate of City Council Candidates Cruise to Victory, Poised to Make History

New York, NY (November 2, 2021)- Tonight, many of NYIC Action’s (the New York Immigration Coalition’s sister 501 (c)4 organization) slate of candidates for the City Council secured resounding victories and prepared to remake New York’s legislative body. While a few races are yet to be called, it is clear that the City Council achieved gender parity for the first time and will be among the most diverse in the city’s history. 

All endorsed candidates committed to NYIC Action’s political agenda, 2021: A Vision for NYC, an inclusive policy plan to ensure that every New Yorker can thrive. 

Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director of NYIC Action, issued the following statement:

“In 2021, NYIC Action tapped into New York’s growing immigrant communities—many of them first-time voters—across the city to get out the vote for leaders who promised to protect and empower immigrant New Yorkers. With a pandemic and an economic recession ravaging New York, we need leaders in City Hall who will ensure opportunity for all. The resounding victories of our slate of City Council candidates ensure that New York’s future City Council will be the most diverse in history. These are working moms, immigrants, and activists who know how essential our immigrant communities were during the pandemic and will be for our recovery and will bring that knowledge to City Hall. NYIC Action congratulates our candidates and Mayor-elect Eric Adams on their victories. We look forward to working with the Adams administration and this new class of Council Members on making real investments in our schools, bolstering the city’s legal protections for immigrants, and blazing a trail for immigrant civil rights.”     

So far, NYIC Action-endorsed candidates with strong leads or confirmed victories include

The Bronx:

• Kevin Riley – District 12 

• Marjorie Velázquez – District 13

• Amanda Farias – District 18

Brooklyn:

• Antonio Reynoso – Brooklyn Borough President

• Eric Gonzalez-Brooklyn District Attorney

• Lincoln Restler – District 33 

• Jennifer Gutierrez – District 34 

• Crystal Hudson – District 35

• Sandy Nurse – District 37

• Alexa Aviles – District 38

• Shahana Hanif – District 39

• Rita Joseph – District 40

• Farah Louis – District 45 

Manhattan:

• Carlina Rivera – District 2 

• Erik Bottcher – District 3

• Shaun Abreu – District 7

• Diana Ayala – District 8 

• Carmen De La Rosa – District 10 

Queens:

• Donovan Richards – Queens Borough President

• Tiffany Caban – District 22

• Adrienne Adams – District 28

Background

This election cycle, NYIC Action endorsed in the Brooklyn District Attorney, the City Council, and four out of five of the Borough President races. Each round of endorsements was made following a careful review of candidates who pledged to build immigrant power and guarantee civil rights, end state support for detention, deportation, and mass incarceration, ensure economic justice and good jobs, and create quality education for all. 

The 2021 platform also included the Our City Our Vote campaign, which supports legislation to permit lawfully present residents and those with work authorizations to vote in municipal elections, such as races for mayor, comptroller, public advocate, borough president, and city council, as well as referenda and other local contests. The original legislation was introduced by Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez in January 2020 and supported by a super-majority of Council Members.

###

With Second Parliamentarian Ruling Blocking Legalization, Immigrant NYers Demand Schumer Deliver on a Pathway to Citizenship

New York, NY (September 29, 2021)–Today, the Senate Parliamentarian, an unelected staff member of the Senate, advised that she would reject the latest version of the immigration provisions (a proposal to update the registry law) included in the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation infrastructure package. The decision comes a few weeks after the Senate Parliamentarian knocked down the original provisions, specifically a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrant Americans. 

Yesterday, Senator Dick Durbin announced the Democrats would pursue a proposal to update the registry law, which would increase the number of immigrants eligible to apply for legal status, in response to the Parliamentarian’s original ruling on a pathway to citizenship for immigrants. Legalizing millions of immigrants will result in an additional $149 billion in GDP and $39 billion in federal, state, and local taxes, according to a recently released FWD.us report. Overcoming the Senate Parliamentarian’s decision requires a unified 50 vote majority in the Senate. 

Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, NYIC Action:

“Twice now, an unelected bureaucrat has attempted to thwart the best chance for immigrant justice in over thirty years. But the Senate Parliamentarian’s strict adherence to arcane procedural technicalities does not outweigh the needs of millions of immigrant families waiting for relief. Congressional Democrats must make good on their promises to American voters and immigrants, who have kept our country running throughout this pandemic. With midterm elections looming, Congressional Democrats have an easy choice to make: do they listen to the majority of American voters who support legalization? Or do they allow obscure Senate procedures to derail their agenda and endanger the country’s economic recovery? Democrats must seize the moment to ensure America’s economic recovery and growth. That’s why today we will be holding a vigil outside of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s Brooklyn home and will keep the pressure on with a follow-up action at his midtown office on Friday at Noon.”

Background:

Throughout September, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) has joined its national partners in a series of actions demanding that Congressional Democrats hold firm on their promise to deliver a pathway to citizenship.  Over the summer, NYIC and Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM)  members led one thousand immigrant essential workers, elected officials, and immigrant rights advocates to demand the inclusion of a pathway to citizenship in the Democrats’ budget reconciliation infrastructure bill. 

A few weeks before the inauguration of President Biden, NYIC launched an aggressive campaign targeted at key members of New York’s Democratic congressional delegation, demanding an unequivocal commitment to achieving a pathway to citizenship. NYIC’s work is part of a multi-organizational and national effort spearheaded by FIRM to transform America’s immigration system. A recent Data for Progress poll revealed a clear majority of Americans, 67%, support legalization for Dreamers, TPS recipients, and essential workers. A FWD.us report  outlined that legalization would provide $149 billion in GDP and $39 billion in federal, state, and local taxes.

###

Immigrant Rights Advocates and Allies Send Powerful Letter to Sen. Schumer Demanding Majority Leader Stand Firm on Pathway to Citizenship

New York, NY (September 14, 2021)–As Congress prepares to vote on the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation infrastructure package, NYIC Action and Make the Road Action are joining several local and national partners on a letter to US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). The letter lays out the groups’ demand that Majority Leader Schumer holds firm on the pathway to citizenship offered by the reconciliation package.  

The groups signing onto the letter include some of the largest immigrant advocacy and progressive political organizations in NY State, including CPD Action, CUFFH Action, Community Voices Heard Power, FIRM Action, Jews For Racial and Economic Justice, MPower Action Fund, Make The Road Action, Muslim Democratic Club of NY, NAKASEC Action, National Partnership for New Americans, NYIC Action, New York Communities for Change, New York Working Families Party, The Jewish Vote, Until Freedom, and Yalla Brooklyn.

Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director of NYIC Action, issued the following statement:

“Our leaders in Washington have a chance to finally end three decades of broken promises and the partisan gridlock that has hurt immigrant families and now threatens America’s economic recovery. It’s long past time that Democrats make good on their promises to immigrant voters and the American people. Now, Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer must stay the course to seize this historic opportunity and deliver a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrant essential workers. A pathway to citizenship is good for America’s economy, communities and good for millions of hard-working families who have waited long enough for the stability they need to move forward in their lives and thrive.”  

Theo Oshiro, Co-Executive Director of Make the Road Action, issued the following statement:

“This is the moment for a path to citizenship for our people, and we’re counting on Senator Schumer to get it done. DACA and TPS recipients, essential workers, and farmworkers have been toiling in the shadows—with the constant fear of being torn from their loved ones—for far too long. It’s time to deliver a reconciliation package that will bring them safety and security while also benefiting a United States economy that relies deeply on their labor.”

###

BREAKING: NYIC Action’s Slate of Candidates Emerge Victorious, Make Up One of the Most Diverse City Councils in History

New York, NY (July 7, 2021)- Following the New York City Board of Elections’ release of official vote tallies in the June 22 Democratic primary, it is clear that the vast majority of NYIC Action’s slate of candidates for City Council have emerged victorious. These incoming Council Members will be fierce advocates for immigrant New Yorkers. All of the endorsed candidates committed to NYIC Action’s political agenda, 2021: A Vision for NYC, an inclusive policy plan to ensure that every New Yorker can thrive. NYIC Action is the New York Immigration Coalition’s sister 501 (c)4 organization. 

Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director of NYIC Action, issued the following statement:

“With the votes finally tallied, we know that the most consequential elections in a generation resulted in an incredibly diverse and progressive slate of Council Members. This year, the future of New York and the nature of our recovery from COVID-19 and the economic recession were on the ballot. In response, New York voters sent leaders to City Hall who understand how essential our immigrant communities were during the pandemic and will be for our recovery. Whether they are incumbents with solid records of advocacy or first-time candidates seeking to shake up politics as usual with a progressive vision for the city, each of these individuals campaigned on platforms that clearly underscored their commitment to giving voice to the immigrant New Yorkers and working families ignored for far too long. Now more than ever, we need leaders at every level of city government who will ensure opportunity for all. So as we wait for every vote to be counted, we celebrate the progress we made towards building a more inclusive city!”

During the 2021 New York City Democratic Primary election cycle, NYIC Action reached more than 50,000 unlikely primary voters in the immigrant-heavy boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. NYIC Action targeted unlikely primary voters to tap into an often ignored bloc constituency. 

Victorious NYIC Action-endorsed candidates include:

The Bronx:

• Kevin Riley – District 12 

• Marjorie Velázquez – District 13

• Amanda Farias – District 18

Brooklyn:

• Antonio Reynoso – Brooklyn Borough President

• Lincoln Restler – District 33

• Jennifer Gutierrez – District 34 

• Crystal Hudson – District 35

• Sandy Nurse – District 37

• Alexa Aviles – District 38

• Shahana Hanif – District 39

• Rita Joseph – District 40

• Farah Louis – District 45 

Manhattan:

• Carlina Rivera – District 2 

• Erik Bottcher – District 3

• Shaun Abreu – District 7

• Diana Ayala – District 8 

• Carmen De La Rosa – District 10 

Queens:

• Donovan Richards – Queens Borough President

• Tiffany Caban – District 22

• Linda Lee – District 23

• Adrienne Adams – District 28

• Felicia Singh – District 32

Background

This election cycle, NYIC Action endorsed in the Manhattan and Brooklyn District Attorney, the City Council, and four out of five of the Borough President races. Each round of endorsements was made following a careful review of candidates who pledged to build immigrant power and guarantee civil rights, end state support for detention, deportation, and mass incarceration, ensure economic justice and good jobs, and create quality education for all. 

The 2021 platform also includes the Our City Our Vote campaign, which supports legislation to permit lawfully present residents and those with work authorizations to vote in municipal elections, such as races for mayor, comptroller, public advocate, borough president, and city council, as well as referenda and other local contests. The original legislation was introduced by Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez in January 2020 and supported by a super-majority of Council Members.

###

BREAKING: Several of NYIC Action’s Slate of Candidates Emerge with Strong Leads

New York, NY (June 23, 2021) - While several contests in New York City’s June 22 Primary remain too close to call, it is clear that several new New York City Council Members will be fierce advocates for immigrant New Yorkers. Tonight, many of NYIC Action’s slate of candidates for the City Council appeared poised to win their races. NYIC Action is the New York Immigration Coalition’s sister 501 (c)4 organization. Additionally, all endorsed candidates committed to NYIC Action’s political agenda, 2021: A Vision for NYC, an inclusive policy plan to ensure that every New Yorker can thrive. 

Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director of NYIC Action, issued the following statement:

“This year, New Yorkers went to the polls for the most consequential city elections in a generation. On the ballot was the future of New York and the nature of our recovery from COVID-19 and the economic recession. Tonight’s results make it clear that New York voters are sending leaders to City Hall that understand how essential our immigrant communities were during the pandemic and will be for our recovery. Whether they are incumbents with solid records of advocacy or first-time candidates seeking to represent their neighborhoods, each of these individuals understands the need to give voice to the immigrant New Yorkers ignored for far too long.

For months, NYIC Action tapped into New York’s growing immigrant communities—many of them first-time voters—across the city to get out the vote for leaders who promised to protect and empower immigrant New Yorkers. With a pandemic and an economic recession ravaging New York, we need leaders at every level of city government who will ensure opportunity for all. So as we wait for every vote to be counted, we celebrate the progress we made towards building a more inclusive city!”

During the 2021 New York City Democratic Primary election cycle, NYIC Action reached more than 50,000 unlikely primary voters in the immigrant-heavy boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. NYIC Action targeted unlikely primary voters to tap into an often ignored bloc constituency. Because this election is the first to include ranked-choice voting, it may take the New York Board of Elections several weeks to announce the winners in the top races, including the Mayoral primary. 

So far, NYIC Action-endorsed candidates with strong leads include:

The Bronx:

• Kevin Riley – District 12 

• Marjorie Velázquez – District 13

• Amanda Farias – District 18

Brooklyn:

• Antonio Reynoso – Brooklyn Borough President

• Lincoln Restler – District 33

• Jennifer Gutierrez – District 34 

• Crystal Hudson – District 35

• Sandy Nurse – District 37

• Alexa Aviles – District 38

• Shahana Hanif – District 39

• Rita Joseph – District 40

• Farah Louis – District 45 

Manhattan:

• Carlina Rivera – District 2 

• Erik Bottcher – District 3

• Shaun Abreu – District 7

• Diana Ayala – District 8 

• Carmen De La Rosa – District 10 

Queens:

• Donovan Richards – Queens Borough President

• Tiffany Caban – District 22

• Linda Lee – District 23

• Adrienne Adams – District 28

• Felicia Singh – District 32

Background

This election cycle, NYIC Action endorsed in the Manhattan and Brooklyn District Attorney, the City Council, and four out of five of the Borough President races. Each round of endorsements was made following a careful review of candidates who pledged to build immigrant power and guarantee civil rights, end state support for detention, deportation, and mass incarceration, ensure economic justice and good jobs, and create quality education for all. 

The 2021 platform also includes the Our City Our Vote campaign, which supports legislation to permit lawfully present residents and those with work authorizations to vote in municipal elections, such as races for mayor, comptroller, public advocate, borough president, and city council, as well as referenda and other local contests. The original legislation was introduced by Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez in January 2020 and supported by a super-majority of Council Members.

###

NYIC Action to Host First Mayoral Forum Dedicated Entirely to Immigration: How will NYC’s next Mayor empower immigrant New Yorkers?

New York, NY—This Thursday, in partnership with The City, City Limits, Gotham Gazette, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, and the New York Immigration Coalition's sister organization, NYIC Action, will host the first Mayoral forum dedicated entirely to immigration.  NYC Mayoral candidates Shaun Donovan, Dianne Morales, Scott Stringer, Maya Wiley, and Andrew Yang will be asked to lay out their priorities for improving the lives of immigrant New Yorkers.

WHEN: Thursday, May 6 at 7:30 PM

WHERE: Register for NYIC's Mayoral Candidate Forum on Immigration here. (The Forum will be streamed in English with simultaneous translation in Spanish and Mandarin.)

WHO:

Moderators

• Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, NYIC Action

• Ann Choi, The City

• Samar Khurshid, The Gotham Gazette

• Daniel Parra, City Limits

Candidates

• Shaun Donovan

• Dianne Morales

• Scott Stringer

• Andrew Yang

• Maya Wiley

NYIC Action Endorses Candidates for New York City Council

New York, NY (January 19, 2021)–The New York Immigration Coalition’s sister 501 (c)4 organization, NYIC Action, today announced its first set of endorsements for New York City Council. The first ten candidates endorsed are all women from diverse backgrounds, religions, and stages of life.  All are fierce advocates for immigrant rights with records of service to New York's communities. 

Murad Awawdeh, Interim Co-Executive Director of NYIC Action, said, “Over the past year, our city has become the epicenter of two pandemics, COVID-19 and racial inequity, and it has been deeply impacted by the economic fallout of both. New York’s immigrant communities—and in particular, women in those communities—have often borne the brunt of these two intersecting hardships. It’s vital that we elect candidates who  represent those who have been voiceless for too long and who respect the endless contributions our immigrant communities make. We believe these candidates will work to create a more just and equitable New York City for all.”

In the Bronx, NYIC Action endorses: 

• Mino Lora (BX, 11), 

• Marjorie Velazquez (BX, 13), 

• And Amanda Farias (BX, 18)

In Queens, NYIC Action endorses: 

• Tiffany Caban (QN, 22), 

• Linda Lee (QN, 23), 

• And Moumita Ahmed (QN, 24) 

In Brooklyn, NYIC Action endorses: 

• Jen Gutierrez (BK, 34), 

• Crystal Hudson (BK, 35), 

• Alexa Aviles (BK, 38),

• And Shahana Hanif (BK, 39) 

The endorsements were made following a careful review of NYIC Action's political agenda, 2021: A Vision for NYC, which calls upon candidates to commit to working towards solutions in 5 major issues areas: Building political power and guaranteed civil rights; Ending state support for detention, deportation, and mass incarceration; Ensuring economic justice and good jobs; Creating quality education for all; and Creating healthy communities. The 2021 platform also includes the Our City Our Vote campaign, which supports legislation to permit lawfully present residents and those with work authorizations to vote in municipal elections, such as races for mayor, comptroller, public advocate, borough president, and city council, as well as referenda and other local contests. The original legislation was introduced by Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez in January 2020 and supported by a majority of council members (26) and the Public Advocate.

Awawdeh continued, “NYIC Action is committed to electing leaders who actively seek fairness and justice for New York’s immigrants—and who are unafraid to fight to ensure opportunity for all. New Yorkers of all backgrounds and immigration status deserve to have their voices heard, and we believe these are the candidates who will best represent our collective interests within City Hall.”

###

NYIC Action Celebrates Record Turnout of Immigrant New Yorker Voters, Biden and Harris Massive Victory Advocates Call for Expansive, Ambitious Vision for Immigrants in America

New York, NY (November 7, 2020)–This morning, multiple outlets projected that Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris overwhelmingly swept New York State and secured enough votes in the critical swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania to win 273 Electoral College votes and the White House. The Democratic ticket is leading by more than 3.8 million in the total vote. As election officials continue to count ballots in New York and western states, multiple news outlets expect that Vice President Biden and Senator Harris will receive the highest total vote in the nation’s history. In a historic turnout, a massive number of immigrant New Yorkers turned out to the polls to deliver the Biden/Harris campaign’s huge sweep of the Empire State.

In response to these results, Murad Awawdeh and Rovika Rajkishun, Interim Co-Executive Directors of NYIC Action, issued the following statement.

“This year, immigration was on the ballot—and it won a resounding victory. Last night, millions of Americans firmly repudiated Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda at the polls with the record-breaking turnout from immigrants and people of color and a show of force not seen in previous elections. Here in New York, NYIC Action mobilized thousands of immigrant citizen New Yorkers—many of them first-time voters—to vote for Vice President Biden, Senator Harris, and other Democratic Congressional and State candidates because they believe immigration is good for New York and good for America. The fact is that these victorious candidates have committed to undoing the damage that the Trump administration has inflicted on our communities and are the only viable option for an America that is united in fighting this pandemic and building an economy that works for all of us. 

Now, as we get ready for the votes to be confirmed and to swear in a Democratic administration, we remind Vice President Biden and Senator Harris of their promises: to rescind the Muslim Ban, reinstate and expand DACA and TPS programs, as just a starting point to rebuilding our immigration system from the ground up.  

NYIC Action is ready to meet the moment by launching a bold and unprecedented $1 million campaign with one goal: to ensure every single member of Congress in New York, with New York Senator Chuck Schumer leading the way, works to win immigration reform that will bring the justice and freedom—not only from Trump's racist policies, but from our failed immigration system that has been broken for decades."

For months, election experts noted that absentee voting would be much higher this year due to COVID-19-related health concerns. Because election officials must verify and double-check each absentee ballot, counting them takes far longer than tallying in-person votes. Only after the results are officially certified can the 2020 elections be decided. Certification deadlines for the 2020 elections in all but one state will close by December 8th.

Advocates Blast Undemocratic Nomination of Anti-Immigrant Judge Barrett to SCOTUS

New York, NY (October 26, 2020)–Following a party-line vote of 52 to 48 late this evening, Congress nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court of the United State (SCOTUS). The Trump administration will hold a swearing-in ceremony at the White House later tonight for Judge Barrett. The addition of Judge Barrett will give conservatives six of the court’s nine seats. During her three years on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago, Judge Barrett ruled in favor of several of the President’s immigration policies, including voting to uphold the change to the public charge rule. 

Following the US Senate’s vote to nominate Judge Barrett, Murad Awawdeh and Rovika Rajkishun, Interim Co-Executive Directors of NYIC Action, issued the following statement.

“For three years, Judge Barrett fought the advancement of immigrant rights by zealously upholding Trump’s extreme right-wing anti-immigrant agenda at the judicial level. With her undemocratic nomination to the highest court in the last eight days before a national election, the stakes for immigrant communities and all New Yorkers could not be any higher. As the White House celebrates its end-run around the American people's will, we are mobilizing our communities and allies to ensure today is the last time the Trump administration and the GOP can bully their way to victory on any issue. Starting next week, every Republican up and down the ballot will hear our voices as absentee ballots and election night returns are counted. Together we will build a country where our leaders act in our interest and where we count on each other and where everyone counts.”

###