The Immigrant’s Journal - Vol. 136

The Immigrant’s Journal Vol. 136

Our leaders who stood for Unity & Justice

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Protecting God’s Children From Distant Lands

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April 22, 2021

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Congresswoman Calls for TPS Designation for St Vincent

Getting Your Marijuana Record Expunged

BY NORMA LEWIS, JD

T

here was quite a bit of excitement, relief, and joy, and a few spiffs smoked when New York legalized recreational marijuana. Several advocates and lawmakers welcomed it as one of the most progressive cannabis laws in the country. That's in part because it automatically clears the criminal records of people with certain marijuana-related offenses.

"For generations, too many New Yorkers have been unfairly penalized for the use and sale of adult-use cannabis,

Congresswoman Clarke.

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

continued on page 2

5 Signs You Might Have a Narcissistic Partner....20

How Immigrant Communities Determine the Next NYC Mayoral Winner A report on the past and present role of immigrants in determining who wins the mayoral election

BY LINDA N., SPECIAL TO JOURNAL

S

ince 1965, most immigrants entering the U.S. live in the cities of six states: Florida, Texas, Illinois, California, New Jersey, and New York. These sanctuary states and cities often play a significant role in determining the political image they possess. They contribute to the shaping of group relations and creating new political lines in modern politics.

In New York, over 3.0 million foreign-born people make up the population. The state has the largest third-gen-

David Dinkins, 106th Mayor of New York City Editorial credit: Tim Coffey / Shutterstock.com

eration foreign-based population of European descent, with a large African American and Puerto Rican population.

The second generation consists of children of immigrants who arrived in the early 1900s, and Latinos form the largest immigrant group in the City.

Hernandez and Rivera-Batiz, 1997, reports that Dominicans comprise the largest foreign-born Latinos in New York City, followed by Puerto Ricans and a rapidly growing Mexican community. continued on page 22

J&J Vaccine Suspension: What It Means For You ....9

R

ep. Yvette D. Clarke, Chair of the Congressional Caribbean Caucus, released the following statement regarding the emergent environmental crisis in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

“The volcanic devastation of St Vincent and the Grenadines requires an urgent humanitarian response from our US government, and the anemic response of our State Department and affiliate USAID causes me great concern. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated due to the recent volcanic eruption.

Plumes of ash and gas have suffocated the island, contaminating water supplies, spewing dense volcanic debris, called pyroclastic flows, have destroyed crops, bringing life and the economy of this island to a halt. Many of the displaced people are now living in less than 100 shelters that do not have the means to prevent the spread of COVID-19 — an already emergent crisis in the region — through social distancing measures.

Others have been evacuated to cruise ships and are awaiting further instructions. However, in an official statement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against travel on cruise ships because the chance of continued on page 21

IMMIGRANTS’ CONCERNS

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Marijuna Record Expunged/from page 1 arbitrarily arrested and jailed with harsh mandatory minimum sentences," Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said in a news release. "After years of tireless advocacy and extraordinarily hard work, that time is coming to an end in New York State."

To right the wrongs of our failed drug war against the sale and recreational use of cannabis sativa, also known as "marijuana", on March 31, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) into law. The law eliminates penalties for possession of less than three ounces of cannabis. Provisions in the law legalizing the personal possession of up to three ounces of cannabis and/or up-to 24 grams of concentrates for those ages 21 and older took immediate effect.

The new law also establishes procedures for the automatic review and expungement of the criminal records of those with low-level cannabis convictions. Under the law, the smell of marijuana alone is no longer probable cause for a search by law enforcement. Use of cannabis in public may be subject to civil penalties.

Possession of marijuana in excess of three ounces is a Class A misdemeanor and is punishable by no more than one year of imprisonment and a fine not to exceed $1,000. Possession of marijuana in excess of 8 ounces – 16 ounces is a

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Stop & Frisk Policy played a great part in criminalizing Brown & Black men.

Editorial credit: LEE SNIDER PHOTO IMAGES / Shutterstock.com

Governor Cuomo signed the MRTA into law on March 31, 2021Editorial credit: Hans Pennink / Shutterstock.com

Class E felony and is punishable by no more than four years of imprisonment and a fine not to exceed $5,000.

Possession of marijuana in excess of 16 ounces – 10 pounds is a class D felony and is punishable by no more than seven years of imprisonment and a fine not to exceed $5,000. Possession of marijuana in excess of 10 pounds is a class C felony and is punishable by no more than 15 years of imprisonment and a fine not to exceed $15,000.

The recently passed law decriminalizes marijuana in New York and allows those previously convicted of certain marijuana-related crimes to seek post-conviction relief (PCR) from the court. While this has far-reaching consequences for every New Yorker, it is crucial for non-citizens whose status can be jeopardized by a

marijuana-related criminal conviction.

•First, with the passage of the New York Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), there are still significant immigration consequences for marijuana violations including in some circumstances deportation, being denied admission to the U.S., being denied permanent residency or a green card, or being denied naturalization.

•Second, those who have already been convicted of possessing marijuana of up to one ounce or publicly using marijuana can seek relief to have those convictions expunged or vacated. In both cases, the convictions will be effectively removed from your criminal record. However, an expunged conviction can still be the basis for negative immigration consequences, including deportation and removal. On

the other hand, a vacated conviction cannot. Thus a legal immigrant previously convicted on marijuana charges should, if possible, seek vacatur of their previous charges to protect their immigration status. They may need to hire a lawyer to file a 440 Motion/Application in the District Attorney's office or county of the underlying arrest.

•If you face a challenge to your legal status due to a previous marijuana conviction or are having trouble with any other immigration issue, please call the attorneys at the Law Firm of Figeroux & Associates. They will help you through the process of vacating your previous charges, protecting your rights, and giving you the best chance possible at maintaining your legal residency and applying for U.S. citizenship. l

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3

TIME FOR ACTION

Democrats: Go Big, Deliver Solutions, and Blow Past the Radicalizing Republicans “Today’s Republican politicians are less focused on winning general elections and more interested in surviving the Trump-led purge in contested primaries that are right around the corner.”

TEAM Publisher I.Q. INC. Legal Advisor Brian Figeroux, Esq. Managing Editor & Editor-in-Chief Pearl Phillip Assistant Editor Marilyn Silverman Graphic & Website Designers Praim Samsoondar Anvar Sabirov Email immjournal@aol.com

BY AMERICA’S VOICE

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esterday, April 14, offered a perfect contrast between the two parties. Democrats are focused on solutions that change lives, and Republicans are focused on pointing fingers, stoking racism, and pulling publicity stunts aimed at Foxlandia.

House GOP Whip Steve Scalise’s milk carton stunt vs. VP Kamala Harris’s solutions for Central America. As Jen Bendery wrote for HuffPost, “House Republican leaders on Wednesday accused Vice President Kamala Harris of being absent on immigration matters ― even showing up to a press conference with a milk carton with Harris’ face on it, declaring her ‘missing’ at the border. One problem: At the same time, Harris was holding a White House meeting on immigration and announcing her plans to visit Mexico and Guatemala.”

Republican Governors’ tried “blame Biden” attacks: Republican governors Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Doug Ducey (R-AZ) published a Washington Post oped attempting to pin the blame on rising numbers of apprehensions and encounters at the border – which started under Trump – on Biden. They don’t want to work with the Biden administration on policy solutions, they want to inflame a political issue to please their base – and the man the base loves. A San Antonio Express News editorial blasted Gov. Abbott’s efforts to turn the plight of migrant children into a “political prop.”

Republican Governors reject and demonize migrant children: The Republican Governors of South Carolina and South Dakota joined in the gamesmanship, saying publicly and proudly they would not allow federal authorities to relocate children into shelters in their states. As if the federal government would ask them.

Gov. Kristi Noem took to Twitter to say “South Dakota won’t be taking any illegal immigrants that the Biden

Visit www.ijlef.org www.falaw.us www.cawnyc.com www.workersworldtoday.com

President Biden and Vice President Harris.

Editorial credit: archna nautiyal / Shutterstock.com

Administration wants to relocate. My message to illegal immigrants… call me when you’re an American.” Subtle, she’s not.

Republicans’ grievance politics now openly embracing white nationalists’ great replacement theory: Tucker Carlson is embracing the “great replacement theory” with odious arguments that welcoming immigrants and refugees is a Democratic plot to replace Republican voters. HuffPost reported that hate group VDare.com tweeted in response, “This segment is one of the best things Fox News has ever aired and was filled with ideas and talking points VDARE.com pioneered many years ago … You should watch the whole thing.” Of course, Tucker’s racist diatribes are quickly spreading to GOP politicians. Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance to Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) are picking up Tucker’s accelerating descent into white power radicalism.

According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice: Stay strong and stay focused, Democrats.

Americans elected a Democratic President and Democratic majorities in both chambers of Congress to do big things, to tackle challenges left unad-

dressed for too long, and to effect change that people experience in their daily lives.

Democrats are delivering – on COVID relief, on vaccines, on strengthening health care, on putting checks in peoples’ pockets, on creating jobs, on reopening schools, on building infrastructure, on making corporations pay their fair share, on confronting racial inequity, on reducing gun violence, on fighting for voting rights, on slowing and reversing climate change and on putting millions of longsettled undocumented immigrants on pathways to citizenship.

No wonder Republicans want to change the subject.

The GOP has other priorities. They want to distract from Democratic achievements. They want to keep their base stoked by demonizing Democrats and the multiracial majority they represent. And most of all, they want to appease the man who hijacked their party and retains a grip on their shrinking, radicalizing base.

Today’s Republican politicians are less focused on winning general elections and more interested in surviving the Trumpled purge in contested primaries that are right around the corner.

Leave them to it, Democrats, and get back to work on fixing America. l

Volunteering at THE IMMIGRANT'S JOURNAL LEGAL & EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC. Internship positions available throughout the year.

The Immigrant's Journal Legal & Educational Fund, Inc. is an organization dedicated to the educational and economic empowerment of all immigrants and immigrant organizations here in the United States. We at the Journal recognize the enormous contribution of immigrants to this country economically, socially and politically. Since September 11, 2001, however, immigrants have increasingly been discriminated against and Congress has passed legislation curtailing the rights of immigrants here in the U.S., broadly claiming that immigrants are a threat to ''National Security.'' We at the Journal believe that these charges are unfounded, unsubstantiated and exaggerated.

The Immigrant's Journal Volunteer Intern Program was introduced to give our volunteers the opportunity to work in an immigrant friendly environment while developing the necessary skills for college or law school. They assist our staff in resolving immigration and other legal concerns through personal interviews, radio, email and telephone contact. They also assist the public with citizenship applications and in researching whether or not children of naturalized U.S. citizens have derived citizenship from their parents. Some of our volunteers assist our legal staff by engaging in legal research and writing letters on other legal issues. Volunteer interns are also assigned various other jobs in our Youth Programs.

Hours are flexible. Email your cover letter and resume or any questions to immjournal@aol.com Tel: 718-243-9431 Fax: 718-222-3153

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FAMILY MATTERS

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Biden Immigration Overhaul Would Reunite Families Split Up By Deportation

BY ROBERT MCKEE IRWIN THE CONVERSATION

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undreds of thousands of immigrant families have been separated by deportation from the United States, in many cases with a parent on one side of the border and children on the other, according to estimates by the Urban Policy Institute and Migration Policy Institute. Reunification is a priority in President Joe Biden’s proposed immigration overhaul and in bills that both the House and Senate will debate in coming weeks.

Both bills have provisions to preserve “family unity.” These include giving immigration judges increased discretion in deportation cases and allowing the secretary of homeland security or attorney general to waive deportation orders or allow deported parents of U.S. citizen children to return to the U.S. Under U.S. immigration law, any noncitizen – including legal permanent residents – may be deported for committing a serious crime. Undocumented immigrants may be removed simply for being in the country without a valid visa

Editorial credit: Stephanie Kenner / Shutterstock.com

and banned for 10 years or more.

Since 2016, I have coordinated a digital storytelling project called “Humanizing Deportation,” which has published personal narratives, in audiovisual form, from over 250 migrants. It is the world’s largest qualitative database on the human consequences of deportation and other harsh penalties of U.S. immigration law.

Our research shows that deportation doesn’t just hurt the migrants who get deported – it also does serious harm to their families, especially children.

Here are two such stories, told by the

separated families themselves. Our project does not verify migrants’ stories, and what you read here is based on their recollection of events.

Tania’s story Tania Mendoza arrived in California in 1989 at age 3, brought by her parents from Mexico, undocumented, to escape poverty.

In 2010 Tania was arrested after a domestic dispute with a guy she was dating.

Though no charges were filed and Tania had no criminal record, she was turned

over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and deported. She was 24 and a mother.

Just two years later, Tania would have qualified as an undocumented childhood arrival, or “Dreamer,” and been protected from deportation by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Her toddler daughter remained with the child’s father in Los Angeles.

Tania recalls her daughter watching her get detained by the L.A. Police Department: “That was the last time I ever saw her,” she told us tearfully.

Tania says separation from her daughter was the hardest part of life after deportation. Since she shared custody with the father, she could not take her daughter with her to Mexico without his consent.

Mother and daughter stayed in touch by phone until 2016, when the father – to whom she was not married – cut off all contact.

“He took her phone away and just decided she was better off without me,” Tania said. “So my heart broke even more.”

After two years without contact, a fam-

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continued on page 5

FAMILY MATTERS

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Reunite Families Split/

McAllen, Tx/U.S. April 17, 2019: A young Honduran family seeking asylum from poverty and gang violence wait at the bus station for their bus to go stay with sponsors until their hearing.

from page 4 ily court judge awarded Tania phone visitation rights – the best proxy for enforcing the existing shared custody agreement due to Tania’s removal from the country.

Tania has communicated regularly with her daughter since but has not seen her, except on a screen, for over 10 years.

Nowadays, she says, getting a simple text like “Hi, Mom, how was your day?” fills Tania with feelings of hope.

Losing mom or dad Family separation made headlines during the Trump administration, when Central American families seeking asylum were separated at the border. About 500 families remain separated today.

But family separation occurred during the Obama administration, too. Between 2009 and 2016, the U.S. expelled an average of 383,000 immigrants per year, according to Department of Homeland Security data. That surpasses Trump, whose government deported 325,000 annually over the first three years of his administration. George W. Bush’s administration averaged 252,000 deportations a year.

So many deported immigrants who’ve shared their stories with us tell of the deep and enduring damage inflicted when their removal meant that their chil-

Editorial credit: Vic Hinterlang / Shutterstock.com dren lost their mom or dad.

Parents are rarely able to provide or care for their families from abroad. And the trauma of losing a loved one for an extended, indefinite period can be significant, especially for children.

Psychologists have observed anxiety, depression, hyperactivity and other symptoms commonly associated with post-traumatic stress disorder in children who’ve lost a parent to deportation.

Why don’t deported parents just take the kids with them? As Tania’s story shows, this is not always practical, or even possible.

Rosa and Zuri When Rosa Ortega’s husband was taken

to an immigration detention center in San Bernardino, California, in 2017, and then deported to his native Peru, it was a devastating ordeal for the couple’s three young children.

In the story Rosa and her daughter Zuri recorded for us that same year, Rosa says she didn’t know how to explain to the children why their father was taken from their house in handcuffs, nor answer their questions about how long he would be gone.

Rosa’s eldest child, Zuri, a teenager, had to step in and assume responsibilities usually handled by her father.

“Instead of him being there on [my sister’s] first day of kindergarten, it was

me,” Zuri told us.

She said losing her father had forced her to “mature and grow up” and that she deals with “more than what you are supposed to” because she is “filling in that role as a parent but still being a child at the same time.”

Zuri is among the thousands of children who just might get to see their dad again under Biden’s immigration reform plan.

But it has to pass the House and Senate first.l

Robert McKee Irwin is a Deputy Director, Global Migration Center, University of California, Davis

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MONEY MATTERS

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Those Experiencing Homelessness Can Get Economic Impact Payments and Other Tax Benefits; Permanent Address Not Required

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ASHINGTON: The Internal Revenue Service today continued an ongoing effort to help those experiencing homelessness during the pandemic by reminding people who don't have a permanent address or a bank account that they may still qualify for Economic Impact Payments and other tax benefits.

While Economic Impact Payments continue to be made automatically to most people, the IRS can't issue a payment to eligible Americans when information about them isn't available in the tax agency's systems.

To help people experiencing homelessness, the rural poor and other historically under-served groups, the IRS urges community groups, employers and others to share information about Economic Impact Payments and help more eligible people file a tax return so they can receive everything they're entitled to.

IRS.gov has a variety of information and tools to help people receive the Economic Impact Payments.

"The IRS has been continuing to work directly with groups inside and outside the tax community to get information directly to people experiencing homelessness and other groups to help them receive Economic Impact Payments," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig.

"The IRS is working hard on this effort, enabling millions of people who don't normally file a tax return to receive these payments. But we need to do more, and we appreciate all the help we've been receiving from national and local groups to assist in this effort to reach the people who desperately need this help."

Economic Impact Payments, also known as stimulus payments, are differ-

ent from most other tax benefits; people can get the payments even if they have little or no income and even if they don't usually file a tax return. This is true as long as they have a Social Security number and are not being supported by someone else who can claim them as a dependent.

The IRS needs information from people who don't usually file a tax return – even if they did not have any income last year or their income was not large enough to require them to file. The only way for the agency to have that information is for people to file a basic 2020 tax return with the IRS. Once that return is processed, the IRS can quickly send stimulus payments to an address selected by the eligible individual. People do not need a permanent address or a bank account. They don't need to have a job. For eligible continued on page 7

MONEY MATTERS

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Economic Impact Payments/from page 6 individuals, the IRS will still issue the payment even if they haven't filed a tax return in years.

People in this group can still qualify for the first two Economic Impact Payments when they file their 2020 return by claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit.

There's a special section on IRS.gov that can help: Claiming the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit if you aren't required to file a tax return. For the current third round of payments, people who are experiencing homelessness usually qualify to receive $1,400 for themselves. If they are married or have dependents, they can get an additional $1,400 for each of their family members.

Filing a 2020 federal income tax return that provides very basic information about the person is something that can be done electronically using a smartphone or a computer. When the IRS receives the return, it will automatically calculate and issue the Economic Impact Payments to eligible individuals.

Permanent address not required People can claim an Economic Impact Payment or other credits even if they don't have a permanent address. For example, someone experiencing homelessness may list the address of a friend,

relative or trusted service provider, such as a shelter, drop-in day center or transitional housing program, on the return filed with the IRS. If they are unable to choose direct deposit, a check or debit card for the tax refund and the third Economic Impact Payment can then be mailed to this address.

Individuals experiencing homelessness can receive the EITC A worker experiencing homelessness can get an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

To get the credit, federal law requires that a worker live in the U.S. for more than half of the year and meet other requirements. This means living in a home in any of the 50 states or the District of Columbia. Therefore, individuals experiencing homelessness, including those who reside at one or more homeless shelters, can meet that requirement.

No bank account? No problem Many financial institutions will help a person lacking an account to open a lowcost or no-cost bank account. Individuals who open accounts will then have an account and routing number available when they file and claim a direct deposit of the Economic Impact Payment.

For those with a prepaid debit card, they may be able to have their refund applied to the card. Many reloadable prepaid cards or mobile payment apps have account and routing numbers that can be provided to the IRS. Individuals would need to check with the financial institution to ensure the card can be used and to obtain the routing number and account number, which may be different from the card number.

Direct deposit speeds payments Direct deposit is the safest and fastest way to receive a refund and Economic Impact Payments. People will need to include direct deposit information on their 2020 tax return to get their payment directly deposited.

Anyone with a savings, checking, or brokerage account can choose to have their refund electronically deposited in that account. Direct deposit is available even for people who file a paper tax return, but processing of paper returns takes longer.

More details on the Earned Income Tax Credit For people experiencing homelessness who have a job, filing a return often carries an added bonus—getting a refund based on various tax benefits, especially the EITC for low-and moderate-income workers and working families.

Like many other workers, some workers experiencing homelessness still qualify for the credit even if they earned too little income during 2020 to owe tax. For 2020, the income limit is $15,820 for singles with no children ($21,710 for couples with no children). The income limit is higher for people with children. For example, the limit is $50,594 for singles with three or more children ($56,844 for couples with three or more children).

Those who make less than this amount must also meet other eligibility requirements.

Because it's a refundable credit, those who qualify and claim the credit could pay less federal tax, pay no tax, or even get a tax refund. The EITC can put up to $6,660 into a worker's pocket. The amount varies depending upon the worker's income, marital status, and other factors.

The IRS recognizes that eligible workers experiencing homelessness often encounter unique challenges not faced by other people.l —IRS.gov

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EDUCATION

8

Easing Students’ Anxieties as They Return to the Classroom

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hen it comes to the emotional well-being of students’ postpandemic, a new study reveals that teachers expect significant challenges when schools make a full return to in-person learning.

The study, commissioned by the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), the world leader in de-escalation training, shows that 84% of teachers say student trauma, mental health issues and increased anxiety are their biggest concerns with full classroom re-entry.

“Many of those in school communities have faced adversity and trauma, ranging from upended routines to home isolation and loss of family members. Simply restarting school won’t erase the aftereffects,” says Susan Driscoll, president of CPI. In many cases, the past year has simply exacerbated issues that predate COVID19. It’s estimated that prior to the pandemic, nearly half of all students in the U.S. had experienced some form of trauma, according to the nonprofit research organization, WestEd. Driscoll says that while the federal government’s COVID CARES Act will provide essential financial support at the dis-

will go a long way.

• Acknowledge your own anxiety: Take the time to understand the reasons you are feeling anxious and seek a positive outlet.

trict level, at the individual level, families and teachers are in a position to help make the transition as smooth and successful as possible. “Ideally, all individuals in a student’s life will be aligned in helping them prepare for their return to school,” she says.

Having trained more than 15 million individuals over four decades in its techniques, CPI is lending its unique knowledge during this transitional period. Here are some of the organization’s top tips for teachers and parents who are busy making preparations for the return to in-person learning: • Create a good learning environment: Classrooms should be well-organized

and structured, but also welcoming to reestablish a familiar routine.

• Listen empathetically: Offer your undivided attention, then provide thoughtful, nonjudgmental feedback.

• Rebuild trust: In a recent survey by the American Federation of Teachers and the New York Life Foundation, only 15% of educators said they feel very comfortable addressing students’ emotional needs caused or intensified by the coronavirus outbreak. While teachers may feel a bit unprepared in this area, making it clear to students that sharing their feelings and concerns is appreciated and encouraged

Additionally, CPI has created educatorspecific supplemental content to its Nonviolent Crisis Intervention training.

That training, which is approved for stimulus related federal funding via the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund, will focus specifically on recognizing the stages of an escalating crisis, as well as learning evidence-based techniques to appropriately de-escalate. During its 40year history, CPI has trained more than 55,000 educators worldwide in non-violent crisis techniques that assist with deescalating and managing heightened school situations. To learn more, visit crisisprevention.com/About-Us. Opening the doors is only step one in returning students to the classroom. As the pandemic eases, parents and teachers will also need to actively address a year’s worth of isolation and anxiety. l (StatePoint)

IMMIGRANTS’ CONCERNS

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Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Suspension: A Doctor Explains What This Means for You as likely as getting struck by lightning in a year. A seventh case was included in the ACIP review on April 14.

BY WILLIAM PETRI

A

panel of experts met on April 14, 2021, to review evidence on blood clots that have been reported in seven people after they received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on immunization. It delayed voting on a recommendation to the CDC so that members can further evaluate risk and data. The clotting, which resulted in one woman’s death, led the CDC and FDA on April 13, 2021, to pause use of the J&J vaccine. Dr. William Petri, an infectious disease physician and immunologist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, answers questions to help put this development in context.

What is this potential side effect of the J&J vaccine for COVID-19?

The potential side effect is a blood clot in the veins that drain blood from the brain.

This is called central venous sinus thrombosis. In the vaccine-associated cases of this, platelets in blood, which are important for making clots, have been lower than normal. This same side effect has been seen in the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine that also uses an adenovirus to deliver the coronavirus spike glycoprotein. In the case of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the clotting disorder has been linked to antibodies against platelet factor 4 (PF4) that are apparently induced by the adenovirus backbone of the vaccine. This antibody causes the

clotting disorder by activating platelets to clot.

It is important to note that this disorder, called vaccine-iduced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, is not a problem with the mRNA-based Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

How many people have experienced this possible reaction?

As of April 13, 2021, about one in a million: Six cases out of the 6.8 million doses of the J&J vaccine administered in the U.S. These six cases all occurred in women ages 18-48, and from 6 to 13 days after vaccination. That’s about half

What do I do if I got the J&J shot?

The CDC and FDA are recommending that people who have received the J&J vaccine within the last 3 weeks who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath should contact their health care provider.

This type of blood clot is treatable with the use of blood thinners or anticoagulants. If a patient has low platelets, however, a doctor would not prescribe the widely used anticoagulant heparin but instead another kind of blood thinner.

Untreated, these blood clots can be fatal.

What are the CDC and FDA specifically recommending for the J&J vaccine?

Because of this rare occurrence, even though it has not been shown to be due to the vaccine, the CDC and FDA have recommended a pause in use of the J&J vaccontinued on page 10

WE’RE ALL TIRED OF COVID-19 But COVID-19 isn’t over yet.

Neither is our fight.

SO, WHAT’S NEXT? KEEP GETTING TESTED OFTEN, EVEN WITH NO SYMPTOMS, UNLESS FULLY VACCINATED*

GET TESTED IMMEDIATELY IF YOU FEEL COLD OR FLU SYMPTOMS

STAY MASKED AND DISTANCED

AND WHEN IT’S YOUR TURN, GET VACCINATED

Preventing the spread of COVID-19 starts with knowing if we have it. TESTING IS AVAILABLE AT NO COST TO YOU.

Visit testandtrace.nyc or call 212-COVID19 *If you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you do not need to get tested, unless you have COVID-19 symptoms.

There may be different testing requirements in certain settings.

NYCH+H_TestingRefresh_Pub_ImmigrantsJournal_10x6.75_EN_V1_FINAL.indd 1 NYCH+H_TestingRefresh_Pub_ImmigrantsJournal_10x6.75_EN_V1_FINAL.indd

4/14/21 2:24 PM 4/14/21

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IMMIGRANTS’ CONCERNS J&J Vaccine/from page 9 cine until these cases can be further reviewed.

What are the next steps?

The CDC convened a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on April 14, 2021. The ACIP is an independent board of 15 scientific and medical experts selected by the health and human services secretary that advises the CDC on vaccines for children and adults. People with ties to vaccine manufacturers are excluded from the ACIP membership because of potential conflict of interest.

On April 14, ACIP reviewed the available evidence but did not vote on recommendations because panel members expressed concern that the panel needs more time to evaluate data and risks. The vaccine has been given to 3.8 million people in the past two weeks. Therefore, not enough time has passed to see whether other people might also experience these serious clots. The panel is expected to meet again within a week to 10 days.

Is this similar to what happened with the AstraZeneca vaccine in Europe?

A similar rare problem of blood clotting with low platelets in the cerebral venous sinus and also in the abdominal veins and arteries has been seen in connection with the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-

19 vaccine used in Europe. There, 182 cases were reported in 190 million doses – again, roughly 1 in 1 million people vaccinated. The European Medicines Agency investigated this and concluded that central venous sinus thrombosis with low platelets should be listed as a possible “very rare side effect” of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

On April 13, 2021, Johnson & Johnson announced it was delaying the rollout of its vaccine in Europe in response to the U.S. review.

What is the take-home message?

The U.S. has a total of three vaccines authorized under emergency use authorization for COVID-19, and this side effect has not been observed in the other two vaccines, developed by Moderna and Pfizer. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines do not use the same technology used in the J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines. So vaccination against COVID-19 can continue, while efforts are made to determine if the clotting disorder is related by chance or a true, but extremely rare, side effect of the J&J vaccine.

I believe it is a testament to the emphasis by the CDC and FDA on vaccine safety that J&J vaccinations have been paused while this is studied by independent scientists and medical experts.

William Petri is a Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia

President Biden Signs Executive Order Modifying Refugee Admissions Policy

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ashington, DC: President Biden signed an executive order intended to speed up refugee admissions to the U.S, but does not raise the total number of refugees allowed to resettle in the country. The current cap of just 15,000 refugee admissions was set by the Trump administration and represents an all-time low ceiling. As of April 2021, halfway through the current fiscal year, the U.S. has resettled just over 2,000 refugees.

Under the administration’s new allocation, about 7,000 slots are reserved for refugees from Africa, 1,000 from East Asia, 1,500 from Europe and Central Asia, 3,000 from Latin America and the Caribbean, 1,600 from the Near East and South Asia, and a reserve of about 1,000 slots to be used as needed.

The following is a statement by Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, the nation’s largest faith-based nonprofit dedicated exclusively to serving refugees and vulnerable immigrant communities: “We are grateful for President Biden’s move to revise refugee policy that has disproportionately and discriminately impacted refugees from African and Muslim-majority nations. His actions today will send some needed hope to the

most vulnerable children and families, particularly those in Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.

However, it is deeply disappointing that the administration has elected to leave in place the shameful, record-low admissions cap of its predecessor. While it is true the Trump administration left the resettlement infrastructure in tatters, we feel confident and able to serve far more families than this order accounts for.

Progress rarely comes in leaps and bounds; while we are encouraged by incremental progress towards restoring our humanitarian reputation, there is far more work ahead to reclaim global leadership. The challenge of ramping up admissions to President Biden's pledge of 125,000 is daunting, but it is an occasion we can rise to."l

Statement on NY HERO Act State Assembly Passage

A

LBANY, NY: FWD.us New York Immigration State Director Eddie A. Taveras issued the following statement today following passage of The New York Health and Essential Rights Act (S.1034A), or NY HERO Act, in the New York State Assembly: “The New York State Assembly took a necessary step by passing the NY HERO Act. It is a critical measure toward protecting all Empire State workers, regardless of immigration status, by establishing health and safety standards to safeguard workers from all airborne diseases, including COVID-19. Our state’s workers, including two million undocumented essential workers, continue to put their lives on the line to keep our economy and communities running, yet have not been provided enforceable safety standards.

More than 51,000 New Yorkers have lost their lives to this pandemic. We cannot

mourn or recover until we have done everything we can to save lives.

“Importantly, when all New Yorkers are safe, our entire state benefits. For example, businesses, and especially small businesses, are more likely to reopen or continue operations when their workers are protected, and consumers feel more confident visiting local businesses when they too know there are precautions in place. I urge Governor Cuomo to sign it into law without delay. I appreciate Speaker Carl E. Heastie and Assembly Member Karines Reyes for their leadership on this crucial issue. Every day without the NY HERO Act being signed into law puts New Yorkers’ lives at risk.”l About FWD.us: FWD.us is a bipartisan political organization that believes America’s families, communities, and economy thrive when more individuals are able to achieve their full potential.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

11

How the Biden Administration Is Responding to Unaccompanied Children, Families, and Adults at the Border

BY MELISSA CRUZ

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nly days after President Biden took office, some people were already declaring that the border was in a state of crisis. But recently released U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics reveal that the truth is more complicated.

The Biden administration is dealing with two very different phenomena at the border right now. One is driving headlines about a surge in adults; the other on the treatment of children.

The Arrival of Single Adults at the Border Beginning last spring, after lockdowns lifted across Mexico and Central America, tens of thousands of single adults began coming to the U.S.-Mexico border. Under a policy put in place by the Trump administration known as “Title 42,” individuals who cross the border between ports of entry were rapidly expelled back to Mexico or placed on a plane and sent to their home country.

These rapid expulsions created a situation where single adults—who didn’t have to worry about the health and safety of a child with them—could attempt to cross the border repeatedly. In December 2020 alone, the Border Patrol apprehended single adults over 62,000 times (many of them the same people). This was the highest level since 1999.

The number of single adults coming to the border has continued to increase since then, making up 67% of all border apprehensions since January. In March, the Border Patrol apprehended single adults 96,628 times. Nearly all were expelled back to Mexico—even those hoping to seek asylum.

Single adults do not represent the same kind of processing difficulties as families and children, in part because the Border Patrol was created generations ago for this exact purpose.

The Arrival of Families and Unaccompanied Children At the same time, a different phenomenon has been occurring with families and unaccompanied children. Though the number of asylum-seeking families and children coming to the border had begun growing last year, that number has skyrocketed since January.

The arrival of record numbers of unaccompanied children has continued to prove an enormous humanitarian challenge for the Biden administration.

President Biden has committed to not restoring the Trump-era policy of expelling unaccompanied children, which was blocked in court last November.

In response, the Biden administration has worked to rapidly expand the capacity of the Office of Refugee Resettlement through the creation of new “emergency influx shelters.” This strategy seems to be having a positive impact, with the number of children in Border Patrol custody beginning to drop through the first weeks of April.

While the number of unaccompanied children reached record highs last month, the number of families seeking asylum

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remains just below 2019 levels.

However, unlike in spring 2019, when nearly all families were allowed into the United States to seek asylum, many families are now being turned away.

Even though unaccompanied children are no longer being expelled, the Biden administration has kept Title 42 in place for families. In March, 17,345 people who came to the border as part of a family were expelled, a full third of all families. The Biden administration has said

that it would expel more families if it was able to, but Mexico has refused to take many families.

Thus, despite Biden’s promise to restore asylum at the border, far fewer families have so far been permitted to seek asylum today than under the Trump administration in 2019. Only 35,559 families were processed under normal immigration law in March, compared to 53,204 families in March 2019.

The Biden administration has said that it intended to restore access to asylum at the southern border in the short-term and to reduce the need to migrate by building regional support in Central America in the long-term.

But in the meantime, the administration should recognize that families are not a threat. We can welcome them in a safe and orderly manner without sending them back to danger. Now that the Biden administration has turned the corner on unaccompanied children, it’s time for them to restore protections for families.l

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12

CIVIL RIGHTS

Are America’s Schools Safe for Asian Americans? school in 2017, compared with 23% of white students.

How common race-based harassment against Asian students is can vary based on different factors, such as where students live, their gender, grades or immigration status. For example, a study from California found that Asian American sixth graders in California reported being bullied and victimized at higher rates than other racial groups.

BY CHARISSA S. L. CHEAH, AGGIE YELLOW HORSE & KEVIN A. GEE THE CONVERSATION

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he rise in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic has prompted many Asian American parents to enroll their children in remote learning out of concern for their child’s safety at school. Asian American youths are enrolled in remote learning at much higher rates than other racial groups.

Federal data show that 78% of Asian American eighth graders attended school virtually in February 2021, whereas just 59% of Black, 59% of Latino and 29% of white students attended school virtually.

Here, three scholars address school safety for Asian American students.

Are American schools dangerous for Asian American students?

Aggie J. Yellow Horse, assistant professor of Asian Pacific American Studies at Arizona State University.

Data show that many Asian American youths have experienced anti-Asian violence in the past year.

Asian Americans have experienced a great deal of racial harassment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent survey found that 1 in 8 Asian Americans reported experiencing anti-Asian hate incidents in 2020. The victims of that harassment aren’t just adults – they include students.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 3,800 hate incidents targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been reported to the Stop AAPI Hate National Reporting Center. Among the incidents early in the pandemic, 16% percent of the targets were Asian American youths ages 12-20.

The majority of the young victims, about 80%, reported being bullied or ver-

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bally harassed. In over half the incidents, the perpetrator used anti-Asian hate rhetoric. About 1 in 5 hate incidents happened at school.

National trends before the pandemic suggested that Asian American students were already more likely to experience racial discrimination, such as race-related name-calling, from their peers at school than other categories of students.

About 11% of Asian American students reported being called hate-related words, compared with 6.3% of white students in 2015. A separate study found that bullying and physical violence were less of an issue for Asian American students. Only about 7.3% reported being bullied at

What are the biggest worries for Asian American youth and parents?

Charissa S. L. Cheah, professor of psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Many Asian American parents are worried that their children will be the victims of discrimination once school reopens.

In one survey, nearly 1 in 2 Chinese American parents and 1 in 2 Chinese American youth reported being directly targeted with COVID-19 racial discrimination in person or online. About 4 in 5 of these parents and their children also reported witnessing racism directed at someone else of their own race either continued on page 13

13

CIVIL RIGHTS Safe for Asian Americans/ from page 12 online or in person.

Despite their concerns, some parents may avoid talking to their children about anti-Asian racism to avoid scaring them while they are at school. Even if parents want to have the “race talk” with their children, many struggle with how to talk to their children about the potential racism they might encounter. Some parents may not have been taught these lessons while growing up and are grappling with how to make sense of these experiences.

Anti-Asian racism is also associated with greater depressive symptoms and anxiety in Chinese American parents and their children. A majority of Americans blame China for its mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak. Researchers have found that even thinking that one’s racial or ethnic group is viewed by the general public as a threat to the health of Americans is linked to poorer mental health in both Chinese American parents and youths.

Asian Americans are less likely than non-Hispanic white Americans to seek mental health help. This is due in part to perceived stigma, language barriers and lack of mental health providers of the same ethnicity. These disparities are even greater for Asian American families with fewer financial resources.

Some Asian American parents have also expressed concerns about the ability of schools to maintain appropriate

COVID-19-related health and safety measures. They are worried about the health risks that children exposed to others at school might bring home. Asians Americans are more likely to live in a multigenerational household, in which older adults might be at a higher health risk.

Even if parents choose to keep their children home because of one or several of these concerns, they are getting the message that in-person education is superior to virtual education. Being out of physical school could cause Asian Americans to miss out on these opportunities and resources even more. Also, due to the “model minority myth,” which characterizes Asian Americans as successful, the needs of this very diverse group, including a large number of immigrant and refugee Asian families in the U.S., are often overlooked. With 30% of Asian Americans reporting limited English proficiency, these families are more difficult to reach. The fears of being harassed also make some parents reluctant to access educational materials or free meals or even reach out to teachers or counselors for help.

What can schools do to reduce threats to Asian American students?

Kevin Gee, an associate professor in the school of education at the University of California Davis Helping students build strong and supportive relationships with each other can reduce their physical victimization and

buffer the negative effects of discrimination Asian Americans face.

Schools can also create supportive environments by implementing a range of evidence-based approaches, such as building teachers’ cultural knowledge and strengthening teacher-student relationships. Activities like engaging students in class discussions about bullying have been shown to reduce bullying.

Alongside initiatives to build supportive environments, schools should also consider partnering with parents. Directly engaging Asian American parents in anti-bullying initiatives can help reduce victimization. For example, schools can collaborate with parents to craft disciplinary policies on bullying. Schools can also hold workshops to teach parents how to handle and prevent bullying.

In order to reduce threats and eradicate harm, I believe schools will need to consider whether they are doing enough to protect Asian American youth. One landmark case underscores this. In the aftermath of violent attacks on Asian

American students at South Philadelphia High School in 2009, a Department of Justice investigation revealed that the school district was “deliberately indifferent” to harassment against Asian students that fueled the attacks.

A key takeaway: Harms against Asian American students can be systemic and require broader structural solutions.

When South Philadelphia High School began to do more to promote multicultural awareness and improved systems to report and investigate harassment, the school saw fewer violent incidents.

To make Asian American youth feel safe and protected, schools need to track, report and respond to incidents of hate against Asian Americans, especially among Asian American ethnic subgroups. Subgroup data, often lacking on Asian Americans, can be a powerful tool in revealing potential disparities and highlighting groups that schools need to target for support.

I believe schools also need to invest in longer-term systemic changes such as including a more complete history of Asian Americans in U.S. social studies curricula.l Charissa S. L. Cheah is a Professor of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Aggie Yellow Horse is an Assistant Professor of Asian Pacific American Studies, Arizona State University. Kevin A. Gee is an Associate Professor of Education, University of California, Davis.

14

TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE

You Can Fly! CDC Says Fully Vaccinated People Can Travel Safely Within the US

BY WILLIAM PETRI, THE CONVERSATION

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t’s OK for fully vaccinated people to travel domestically again without quarantining, so long as they wear a mask and maintain social distancing guidelines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced April 2, 2021 in its updated guidelines for travel.

The agency advises that people still wash or sanitize their hands frequently when traveling. The guidelines also provide guidance for other modes of transportation other than air travel, and are for domestic travel. The CDC recommends delaying international travel for fully vaccinated people.

The agency also advises delaying domestic travel for those who are not fully vaccinated. And, the updated travel guidance comes only days after CDC Director Rochelle Walensky reminded people that mask-wearing is still essential and that the U.S. is not out of danger.

Fully vaccinated means that two weeks have passed since people have received the full dose of vaccine. That is two shots for those who have been vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. For those who have been vaccinated with the

Johnson & Johnson vaccine, that is one shot. Studies have shown that it takes the body two weeks to develop the full immune response to the vaccine, regardless of which vaccine they receive.

More than 50 million people have been fully vaccinated, and more than 100 million people in the U.S. have had at least one dose of one of the three COVID-19 vaccines as of April 2, 2021. Evidence continues to show that vaccination with the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines offers very high levels of protection against the coronavirus.

And, research is showing that the risk of vaccinated people spreading the disease to others is low. However, there is still a small risk that vaccinated people could

transmit the disease to others.

While this is good news to those who want to travel – as well as the airline industry and tourist destinations – people are still confused about what they can and cannot safely do. As an infectious disease doctor, I’ve been fielding a lot of questions from my patients as well as my friends and family about what someone is allowed to do once vaccinated. Do vaccinated people need to wear masks, socially distance and avoid travel?

If you are fully vaccinated – that is, if you are more than two weeks out from receiving both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson – you can visit other fully vaccinated people without socially distancing or wearing masks, according to the CDC guidelines. You can even visit indoors with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease without wearing masks or physically distancing.

The CDC does suggest you be tested if you develop symptoms that could be COVID-19. You should then stay isolated until you are shown to be uninfected.

If you are fully vaccinated, you should still avoid social settings that include

multiple unvaccinated households. And, you should avoid medium to large crowds because of the increased risk.

You also should continue to wear a well-fitted mask, wash your hands frequently and maintain physical distance when outside the home. Worshiping indoors at a synagogue, mosque or church is still not advisable unless all attending are vaccinated.

With regard to the new guidelines, the CDC says that vaccinated people should still monitor themselves before and after travel and wash or sanitize their hands frequently.

So in the face of continued pandemic transmission and new viral variants, we all need to remain vigilant and observe good health practices even after being vaccinated. However, it is very good news that we can prudently lift some of the restrictions that have so limited our ability to be with loved ones. This is especially good news for seniors who are particularly vulnerable to the downside of isolation – and the loved ones who are keen to visit them.l William Petri is a Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia

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GENERATIONS

15

Where There's a Will, There's a Way to Distribute Assets

BY JANET HOWARD

O

ne of the most important legal documents an individual can sign does not take effect until after their death. Why would people care about what happens after they are gone?

Because they cannot take their assets with them, people may want to ensure the property they leave behind is distributed as they desire. Instructions as to what they want done with their property can be set forth in a handy asset distribution guide called a will.

Although the focus of a will is on what happens after death, a will is written while a person is alive. The person making the will is called the testator, and his final wishes are expressed in this legal document. The testator can set out how he wants his assets disposed of and how he wants his affairs managed following his death. These instructions could include who gets specific property such as a valuable piece of jewelry, how much money someone is to receive from a designated source such as a bank account, or who should be the guardian of minor children left behind.

Because a will is a legal document, spe-

cific requirements must be met for it to be deemed valid. These requirements are set by state law and vary from state to state. Since these are legal requirements, a prudent step is to consult an attorney for advice as to the correct way to proceed to make a will.

Common requirements for wills are that they be signed by the testator. Their signature is usually observed by witnesses, who also sign the will. Typically, two witnesses, both adults, must be utilized.

A witness should be a disinterested party, meaning they are not someone who would inherit or benefit from the will's provisions, to avoid challenges to the will.

At least three good reasons exist for having a will. First, this document allows disputes over inheritance to be avoided.

If the will states that the testator's son is to receive their coin collection, the testator's wishes are clear. Without a will, both the testator's son and the testator's brother could claim the testator said they were to receive the coin collection. Now the family is dealing with both the testator's death and a conflict between family members.

A second reason a will is a good idea is that the testator has piece of mind that their wishes have been stated and will be respected. If the testator does not want his son to get his car following his death,

the testator can specifically leave the car to his daughter instead. If the testator wants his sister to oversee the distribution of his assets following his death, he can name her to do so in his will.

Finally, the best reason to have a will is that it prevents the government from determining the distribution of the testator's assets. If an individual dies without a will, they are said to die intestate.

When such a situation occurs, the state has its own distribution plan which will be applied. The wishes of the testator, the family dynamics, and the family history are irrelevant to the state.

While dealing with legal documents and attorneys may seem daunting, the value of having a will is worth that effort.

With a will, an individual can literally have the last word by stating how they want their property distributed following their death. Having your wishes respected, avoiding family drama, and keeping the state from making decisions for you are all valuable benefits of making a will.

For a free case evaluation, call 855768-8845 or visit www.askthe lawyer.us to schedule an appointment. Remember, estate planning is a necessity, not a luxury. Don’t wait.l

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16

WELCOME TO AMERICA

New York City: A City of Immigrants

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he New York City Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) promotes the well-being and full inclusion of immigrant New Yorkers in the City's civic, economic, and cultural life. Through initiatives and collaborative partnerships with City agencies, elected officials, sister cities, community-based organizations, and advocates, MOIA leads and supports a range of programs and policies that empower immigrant communities. As experts on immigration policy, community engagement, and social justice, MOIA strives to mitigate the hardships of immigrant New Yorkers by advancing economic justice and access to due process, legal, language, and health services while advocating for immigration reform at all levels of government.

This report reviews MOIA's work in 2020 that demonstrates New York City's commitment to supporting our immigrant communities throughout the pandemic, and fighting back against the Trump Administration's federal antiimmigrant policies. Under the leadership of Mayor Bill de Blasio, and with the City Council's coordination and support, MOIA's work has helped ensure the City's unwavering commitment to protecting, serving, and safeguarding the rights of all New Yorkers and ensuring

they have support in their time of need, regardless of immigration status.

To assess the state of our immigrant city, this report provides a demographic overview of our immigrant population, describes barriers faced by these communities, and outlines the programs and activities that MOIA conducted to help address these challenges. The report also tracks the impacts of the pandemic on

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immigrant New Yorkers and highlights areas where their communities are still in need of support.

Highlights of MOIA's 2020 Annual Report include: •Tracking COVID-19 impact to immigrant communities through data. In 2020, MOIA produced original research that helped to inform the debate and advocacy around inclusion of immigrant communities in pandemic relief, as well as research that helped to track the impacts of significant immigration developments, such as the public charge rule. The data also show that in 2019, New York City's non-citizen population experienced a decline for the second year.

•Responding to the inequities of COVID19. MOIA worked to help counter the crushing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately ravaged the communities we serve, by creating innovative solutions to address gaps in federal relief, engaging in creative outreach, expanding language access, and by advocating for pro-immigrant policies at every level of government.

•Institutionalizing legal services and support. Recognizing the continuing demand for immigration legal services that is expected to further increase under the new federal administration, MOIA worked to institutionalize its legal services programs and embed the ActionNYC

programs into the City's civil legal services infrastructure.

•Empowering immigrants to be counted and participate in civic society. MOIA collaborated with the NYC Census 2020 team to empower all New Yorkers to get counted through virtual and in-person events, direct sign-ups, and amplification of Census messaging through all public channels and other programs like We Speak NYC. •Advocating extensively at all levels of government in the last year of the Trump administration. Whether it was sharing crucial information about public charge, launching a campaign in support of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), or joining the fight in court against the government's attempt to increase U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) immigration fees, MOIA worked with our partners across City government and across the country to push against anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric.

In 2021, MOIA will continue to build on this work to serve, protect, and empower all New Yorkers, while helping to ensure our city — and our pandemic recovery — is inclusive, equitable, and just for all.l

Read the full report at www.ijlef.org

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JOBS & RECESSION

18

Getting Our Communities Through COVID — and Back to Work

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he COVID crisis created widespread hunger across the city.

Many CWE partners quickly mobilized to feed families who had lost income or had their usual sources of food disrupted.

In Queens, Urban Upbound organized a food distribution network serving some of the largest housing projects in the city, distributing weekly boxes of food to thousands of apartments and preparing special hot meals for hundreds of seniors and small children. The Independent Drivers Guild created “Labor Delivers,” a program which employed over 10,000 taxi and black car drivers, themselves hard-hit by the pandemic, to deliver food to people across the city. Henry Street Settlement increased their Meals On Wheels program to over 14,000 meals weekly and launched a community-wide response on the Lower East Side which included providing three meals a day to 600 residents. United Community Centers of East New York activated existing connections with urban farms in East New York to deliver food to approximately 150 families living in the NYCHA-operated Pink Houses.

CWE partners also responded to the

Graduates of The Community League of the Heights (CLOTH), a Jobs to Build On partner, celebrate in 2017.

CLOTH uses a holistic approach to ensure participants needs are met and they can succeed at work.

Photo courtesy Consortium for Worker Education (CWE)

COVID-induced mental health emergency, as New Yorkers mourned the loss of loved ones and struggled with isolation and stress. Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow counselors called students and helped them deal with mental health issues, with interpersonal disputes arising when family members sheltered together, and with the fear and anxiety

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that grew out of the COVID-19 pandemic. St. Nicks Alliance contacted 1,200 seniors in their network to check on their health, as well as bring them food.

Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation conducted regular wellness checks for their participants and their families while assessing their employment and financial needs.

Many CWE partner organizations serve workers in industries that are facing high unemployment during the pandemic, and they are helping those workers with financial or housing assistance. With restaurants closed throughout the city, Restaurant Opportunity Center (ROC) New York created a relief fund and immediately was able to distribute $30,000 to 100 of its members most in need of groceries, rent, and medicine.

Riis Settlement raised funds for cash grants, in addition to distributing thousands of meals and PPE to residents.

Make the Road New York provided cash assistance to over 4000 families. CWE Immigration Protection Group partners, including Make the Road New York, fought for and won a state fund to support immigrant workers excluded from federal unemployment assistance.

The CWE network was able to respond quickly to the myriad of challenges faced by our communities because the organizations have been providing similar services to workers for years, as part of an inclusive approach to workforce development. If workers lack secure housing, dependable childcare, or even something as simple as appropriate clothes for a job interview, they are unlikely to succeed in their goal of getting and keeping a job.

For example, when a community member arrives at CLOTH, a partner in CWE’s Jobs to Build on Program, the staff conducts an initial assessment to identify immediate needs beyond job training and placement. This approach allows CLOTH to provide additional benefits such as metro cards, uniforms, and pre-employment medical services.

“We start with their needs,” says Daniel Mercado, Director of the Technology and Workforce Center. “We enroll them in the ESL program if they are in need of language skills. We enroll them in our computer skills program if that is needed. Our holistic approach can mean the difference between completing training and getting and keeping a job.”

At Black Veterans for Social Justice, another Jobs to Build On partner, the organization sees a good job as key to economic stability. Still, some veterans need other services first.

“Many are homeless,” the organization says. “That is an impediment to getting employment.” BVSJ works to get homeless veterans into subsidized housing or shelter, which helps provide the stability they need to be ready for work.

The headwinds workers face have only grown stronger during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reviving our city economy, and ensuring that revival benefits working class communities, will mean reinvesting in workforce development programs at the community-based organizations that know what their community members need to succeed at work.l

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LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS

20

5 Signs You Might Have a Narcissistic Partner want from their partners. They often use some of the following types of manipulation: •"You'll do it if you love me."

•"Well, if you won't, someone else gladly will."

•"It's now or never."

It is not uncommon for a narcissist to resort to throwing an outright tempertantrum in hopes of getting what they want through mental manipulation.

BY MARY CAMPBELL

T

he beginning of a new relationship if often bliss. With a new couple trying to get to know one another, both participants are often on their best behavior. However, when the newness begins to wear off, warning signs may start to become apparent. The following are five signs your partner may be a narcissist.

1. Possesses Charm, Charm, and more Charm... at First One common characteristic of narcissism is the charm. While charm is a characteristic that many ordinary people possess, it is only temporary with a narcissist. A narcissist is very charming at first, but once they have you where they want you in the relationship, the charm fades. If your relationship is passing the beginning stage, and you now wonder where all that charm went, your partner may be a narcissist.

2. Has a Clear "Me, me, MEEEEE..."

Complex Another indicator that your partner might

be narcissistic is if he or she has a huge ego. A relationship with someone like this often begins like a fairytale, but does not stay that way for long. Does your partner all of a sudden star themself as the main character in every story they tell? Do they seem to possess a sense of superiority over you and others? Is the "me-complex" out of this world? If you answered any of these questions with a "yes," you might be in a relationship with a narcissist.

3. Has a Need of Instant Gratification Because a narcissistic person is self-

absorbed with a big ego, they often expect instant gratification when fulfilling their needs. It is not unusual to quickly anger a narcissistic partner with simple things such as not answering a phone call or text immediately. Moreover, due to the need for instant gratification, a narcissistic partner often says, "I love you," early into a relationship, and expects an immediate "I love you, too."

4. Uses Manipulation and Uses it Well Narcissistic people are highly opposed to being disappointed or rejected, so they often use manipulation to get what they

5. Shows Little to No Empathy Narcissistic people usually have difficulty trying to understand others' feelings, primarily if they differ from their own.

Therefore, they carry little or no empathy for others. If you have a bad day at work or you had a fight with your sister, and your partner does not seem to understand or care, you might be in a relationship with a narcissist.

A romantic partnership with a narcissist is emotionally draining, to say the very least. A relationship like this may leave a person questioning their sanity. If you recognize your partner in the above signs, it may be time to re-evaluate your relationship before things get worse.l

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IN THE NEWS

21

TPS for St Vincent/ from page1 contracting COVID-19 is greatly exacerbated,” said Clarke. “This is a humanitarian crisis that has not been adequately addressed by the US State Department or any other International Aid Organization.

In fact, the United States has only allocated approximately $100,000 to address this emergent crisis, and USAID has only allocated $20,000. This funding is, simply put, a symbolic gesture and merely scratches the surface of the St. Vincentian people’s needs and does little to combat the catastrophic disaster that continues to unfold. It falls woefully short of our humanitarian capacity. It does not, in any way, truly reflect what we as a nation are capable of; the magnitude of this crisis requires more. It requires focused, competent humanitarian assistance commensurate with the crisis faced by the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. I am calling on the US State Department to immediately allocate an appropriate level of funding to support our neighbor’s rescue, recovery and rehabilitation, and I am calling on Secretary Mayorkas to designate TPS status for the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and neighboring islands that are located within the red zone.”

Since April 9th, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and neighboring island nations, have been devastated by eruptions of the La Soufrière volcano. More

Diamond, St. Vincent and the Grenadines - April 9, 2021: La Soufrière Editorial credit: Christopher Charlesworth / Shutterstock.com

than 20,000 people have been evacuated from their homes since the La Soufrière volcano began erupting, many of the displaced people are now living in less than 100 shelters that do not have the means to prevent the spread of COVID-19 — an already emergent crisis in the region — through social distancing measures.

Crops — including coconut, breadfruit, mango and soursop trees, plantain and banana crops, which comprise much of the island’s agricultural economy, outside of tourism — have been destroyed.

Access to clean water has risen to priority one, as the Island’s main water supplies have been contaminated. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that the volcano's eruption had left the entire population of St. Vincent, 110,000 people, without clean drinking water or electricity.

“With all of this in mind, I have written a letter to Secretary Mayorkas of the Department of Homeland Security urging him to assign Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for St. Vincent, the Grenadines and neighboring island migrants within the red zone. These island nations have direct ties with the United States, and many have familial ties within the Vincentian-American diaspora community of my district that will prevent any temporary relocation from becoming a stress on our economy,” said Clarke. “The U.S. must comply with international legal obligations and allow all migrants access to the asylum system. As DHS processes this request, I urge Secretary Mayorkas to consider the plight of our neighbors in St.Vincent, the Grenadines and the neighboring islands, living through this extraordinary environmental disaster

while facing a pandemic, the likes of which our global community has never seen.”

TPS is a temporary status given to eligible nationals of designated countries present in the United States. This status is afforded to residents from some countries affected by armed conflict, or natural disaster allows persons to live and work in the United States for limited times. The secretary of Homeland Security may designate a foreign country for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) if conditions in the country meet statutory requirements regarding ongoing armed conflict, natural disasters (including epidemics), or other extraordinary and temporary conditions in the country that temporarily prevent its nationals from returning safely.

The Secretary of Homeland Security has the discretion to designate a country for TPS for periods of 6 to 18 months and can extend these periods if the country continues to meet the conditions for designation. l Yvette D. Clarke has been in Congress since 2007. She represents New York’s Ninth Congressional District, which includes Central and South Brooklyn.

Clarke is Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Taskforce on Immigration, a Senior Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and a Senior Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

NYC ELECTIONS

22

The Next NYC Mayoral Winner/ from page1

70% Latino voters, but not sustained for a second term. Thus, race drove Dinkins to victory in 1989, flipped, and contributed to his defeat in 1993.

By 1994, he lost by a narrow margin to Rudy Giuliani, who led for two terms as New York City's Mayor, 1994-2001, and passed the baton to Michael Bloomberg.

The 108th Mayor, between 2002-2013, Michael Bloomberg won his first election into office by the combination of 67% votes from whites, 23% votes from Blacks, and 23% votes from Hispanics, according to a New York Times exit poll results. But by the 2005 elections, he won a re-election victory by gathering the votes of almost half of New York's black voters, a quarter of votes from Latinos despite facing a Hispanic challenger, and then served a third term.

According to the September, the outgoing City leader, Mayor Bill de Blasio, the 109th Italian American, won the 2014 election through the racial combination of votes among 52 % white voters, 90% black voters, and 68% Hispanic voters 19, 2013, Quinnipiac University Poll Findings.

Limitations to political participation Immigrants play an active role in various aspects of building society, including setting the political image. However, there are several reasons why immigrants are unable to participate in politics actively.

Citizenship and language barrier are two major formal eligibilities identified to be a significant hurdle for immigrants in political participation. Portes and Rumbaut (1996) cited other issues as reasons for migration, level of ties with their home country, prevailing political environment, and experiences as determining the speed of assimilation into the society through citizenship.

Electoral institutions and legal requirements such as imposing limiting legal requirements and processes affect political participation, including others like eliminating non-citizen voting rights, lack of mobilization, political party behaviors. So, you can vote if you naturalize and get registered citizens.

Voting patterns and racial/ethnic groups in New York City Research findings by Brackman and Erie (1994) show differences in voting patterns across ethnic groups. For instance, while Latino immigrants naturalize late, they have higher voter registration and turnout rates than Asian Americans who naturalize sooner. Another group of researchers found evidence supporting the fact that local political context shapes immigrant participation, as evidenced in

Candidate Dianne Morales Editorial credit:Facebook.com/dianne4nyc

the voting behavior of immigrant New Yorkers. According to John Mollenkopf, professor at the City University of New York, over 20% of eligible NYC voters are non-citizens, and more than 5 million falls within the age of voting in New York City, about a million, are non-citizens. Findings show that these non-citizens are almost all Chinese and Dominican immigrants', NYC Mayoral Election, Arithmetic-The Journey, The position of Mayor of New York City dates back to 1665, with over 100 mayors. Since then, there has been only 1 Black mayor, no Latino or Hispanic mayor, besides John Purroy Mitchel (1914–1917), and no female.

It is worth mentioning that the elected Mayor by New Yorkers at any given period is a reflection of the political climate in New York and a tell-tale sign of the racial successions emanating from the competitive and covert negotiations that take place at different levels within the City and beyond given the prestigious and influential nature of the position.

According to Chris McNickle (1993),

Candidate Maya Wiley Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

"…when New Yorkers elect a Mayor, they reduce the diversity of countless neighborhoods and millions of people to a single human point. In his book 'To be Mayor of New York: Ethnic Politics in the City,' he explains that there hasn't been any racial group that has been big enough to control the position. Instead, the election of a mayor depends on the coalition. The strongest in the City's history has been the coalition between the Irish, who wanted status, and Jews who wished for protection from discrimination, among other things, between 1886 through 1961.

From 1960, the Jewish group became dominant and decided to work with other minority groups in the City, thereby forming a multiracial coalition that created and sustained a palpable racial tension in the City's polity. By 1989, the first black Mayor, David Dinkins, elected from a combination of black voters, Hispanics, Puerto Ricans, and a small number of Jews. His victory coalition formed on winning the allegiance of 98% black voters, 40% of Jewish voters, and

26 Court Street, Suite 701, Downtown Brooklyn

Battle for NYC's Mayor 110 Position With less than ten weeks to selecting the next Chief Executive of the City, predicting how the racial groups will vote poses a herculean task. For the first time, New York City will use ranked-choice voting, which is new to many New Yorkers, especially at the level of awareness, which might have dire consequences.

According to polls, the problem is more evident in communities of color: 46% of African American voters report having heard nothing about ranked-choice voting, and 32% report having heard it a little. Thirty-eight percent of Latinos have heard nothing about ranked-choice voting, and 44% have heard a little. Only 20% of white voters claim they have heard nothing about it.

The combination of new ranked-choice voting, widely diversified candidates, pressing issues on economic recovery, social justice, public safety, and reopening post-pandemic makes the 2021 mayoral race the contest of a generation as dubbed. Candidates who recognize the role of immigrants and include these issues that affect them, such as healthcare, bilingual education, accessing city services in their policies, is a wise investment.

A strategy one of the mayoral candidate Shaun Donovan recognizes by covering the importance of immigrants, in his policy paper, is pushing for non-citizen New Yorkers, under his administration, to participate in local and municipal politics through the expansion of voting rights.

According to him, as indicated on his website campaign page, "Immigrant New Yorkers contribute to the wellbeing of our City, …we must extend voting rights to non-citizen New Yorkers to include them in the civic processes at the heart of our democracy. ... under a Donovan administration, New York City will allow people with Green Cards or valid work status to participate in municipal elections for mayor, borough president, city council, and others…"l

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