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CONVERSATIONS
Hochul’s Past Push to Arrest Immigrants Resurfaces as She Readies to Replace Cuomo Kathy Hochul the former congresswoman,” said Sen. Jessica Ramos (DQueens), who represents a district with a large immigrant population. “We see what legislators are made of in the same way that we see what human beings are made of over time. I’m hoping she continues this pattern of acknowledging and respecting not only the existence but the ability of all New Yorkers to thrive.”
BY SAMANTHA MALDONADO AND JOSEFA VELASQUEZ, THE CITY
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t. Gov. Kathy Hochul, speaking publicly for the first time as New York’s governor-to-be, insisted Wednesday she’s “evolved” since fighting against driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants by threatening them with possible arrest and deportation. Her political record has drawn new scrutiny in the wake of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation announcement Tuesday amid a sexual harassment scandal. She’s slated on Aug. 24 to become the first woman to lead New York’s 19 million residents — more than a fifth of whom are foreign born. “Our immigrants need that,” Hochul told THE CITY during a news conference in Albany, referring to the licenses. “They need to be able to get to their jobs and parents need to take kids to doctor’s appointments.” The Buffalo Democrat’s remarks represent an about-face from a stance that originally helped launch her into a statewide political spotlight. In 2007, while serving as the Erie County clerk, Hochul threatened to arrest
Albany, NY - August 11, 2021:Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul Addresses People of New York at State Capitol Building Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com
undocumented immigrants who applied for driver’s licenses. Then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer sought to reinstate access to driver’s licenses for all after his predecessor, George Pataki, began requiring Social Security numbers for applicants in the wake of 9/11. “I had taken a position that has now evolved,” Hochul said Wednesday in the most-watched appearance so far of a long career in politics. “And that evolution coincides with the evolution of many people in the State of New York.” In recent years, Hochul, who briefly represented Buffalo in Congress before
first being elected lieutenant governor in 2014, has changed course as Democratic politics have shifted leftward. She wrote an op-ed in May 2019 seeking to reassure New Yorkers on the fence that any safety concerns are quelled by the state’s so-called Green Light law. As Hochul promised to “fight like hell” for New Yorkers in her new role, immigration advocates eyed her past with equal parts skepticism and hope — saying she’ll now have the power to show how far she’s come. “I’ve been much more fond of Kathy Hochul the lieutenant governor than
‘Making Up to Do’ One of Hochul’s biggest challenges as she takes office will be spearheading New York’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Advocates say the key to her success may come down to how she incorporates New York’s approximately 4.4 million immigrants in that effort. “She will not be able to rebuild our state’s economy if she does not step up for immigrant New Yorkers who have always been essential for our recovery effort and essential to our state throughout history,” said Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition. “She has a lot of making up to do…. This is an opportunity for her to really partner with us to figure out what is going to really transform our state and allow everyone in it to thrive.” Aside from being the first female governor, Hochul would be the first in generations not to hail from New York City or the surrounding suburbs, areas of the state with a rich immigrant population. Hochul’s reputation as a center-right Democrat is in part rooted in her 2007 fight against Spitzer’s proposal to issue driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. In her capacity as the Erie County clerk, she and the Niagara County clerk, a Republican, worked with law enforcement to cook up a plan to arrest undocumented New Yorkers when they applied for licenses. At the time, Hochul said the threat of arrest would deter undocumented immigrants from seeking licenses, a form of ID that could “[give] them cover.” She couched her plan as a way to uphold both state and federal laws. In 2014, as a candidate for lieutenant governor, she released a video defending her Democratic record, touting her work drafting “a law that gave a path to citizenship to millions” as an aide to Sen. Daniel Patrick Monyihan, as well as her support for the Dream Act, which would allow undocumented college students access to state financial aid. ‘Putting Up Barriers’ But Hochul’s history opposing licenses for the undocumented again came under fire during the 2018 gubernatorial race, continued on page 26
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