The Immigrant’s Journal - Vol. 143

The Immigrant’s Journal Vol. 143

A Journey for a Better Life & Justice

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Protecting God’s Children From Distant Lands

www.ijlef.org

August 19, 2021

26 Court Street, Suite 701, Brooklyn, NY 11242 Tel: 718-243-9431 Fax: 718-222-3153 Email: immjournal @aol.com

Weren’t Eligible for Unemployment Benefits? Apply for the Excluded Workers Fund

BY ALLISON DIKANOVIC THE CITY

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ew York’s Excluded Workers Fund, which is intended to provide much-needed relief to workers cut off from government unemployment benefits and stimulus checks during the pandemic, is now open.

Any workers — including undocumented immigrants — who weren’t eligible for unemployment benefits, can apply.

The funds do not need to be paid back.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers in Albany created the historic $2.1 billion

fund to assist undocumented and nontraditional workers as part of last-minute state budget negotiations in April. The state recently released the official regulations laying out what it will take to qualify.

Here’s the status of the fund, some tips for applying and resources to help New Yorkers access the cash.

Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez Dismisses Over 3,500 Marijuana Cases ....12

First: This is a big deal With $2.1 billion of state money, New York’s Excluded Workers Fund is the largest program of its kind in the country continued on page 5

Defeat Delta: Key to NYC Vaccination Mandate ....7

Tips to Manage Your Credit During a Divorce .... 10

Hispanics in Danger: A Growing Workplace Safety Crisis

BY VICTORIA FALK

D

uring a recent online public forum, leaders from the Hispanic community discussed Hispanics' disproportionate number of injuries and deaths on job sites.

Workers who are young, Hispanics, and work for small construction firms have the highest fatality rates of any group of workers in the country. That conclusion is according to a recent

report by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE that examines the overlapping vulnerabilities facing young Hispanic immigrants in the construction industry. The report also determined those young and Hispanic workers and work for small construction firms likely face greater occupational safety and health challenges than

Raising Readers: Motivating Kids and Teens to Read ....9

continued on page 2

Tips for Job Seekers in the Hospitality Industry ....18

How to Get a Green Card: Green Card for Asylees ....13

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

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Workplace Safety Crisis from page 1 almost any other employee segment or industry in the United States.

The report, "Overlapping Vulnerabilities: The Occupational Safety and Health of Young Immigrant Workers in Small Construction Firms," reviewed an array of existing data sources to document overlapping vulnerabilities for workers.

It focused on the factors behind why the population of workers who fall into three categories – Hispanic immigrants, working for small businesses with fewer than 20 employees, and young workers under age 25 – are at increased risk for injury and death when working in the construction industry.

"The safety community and the construction industry must take note of this report and work together to improve the safety conditions outlined in it," said ASSE President Trish Ennis. "ASSE & NIOSH commit to partner with interested parties across the country to develop effective solutions that will allow Hispanic immigrants and small business owners to thrive in a safe work environment."

J. R. Gonzales, the moderator for the event, said, "The injury and mortality rate on job sites is unacceptable. People should not have to die to have a job."

Employers and employees are encouraged to have an ongoing conversation

about job safety. Terri Reid, a panelist in the public forum, outlined the following recommendations to help alleviate this crisis: •It is essential to assure a culture of safety in your business. Make all staff aware that safety is a top priority on the job site.

•Keep the conversation about safety going. Make safety plans and regularly evaluate how those plans are working.

•Have a safety manual on hand in English and Spanish. Make sure staff are aware the manual exists. Make sure the manual is in an accessible location.

•Provide training based on the risks and consequences. Show reasons why something should or should not be done. Don't just tell people rules and regulations.

•People who are reluctant to follow the

rules may be more willing to follow instructions when they understand how they will benefit from doing as told.

•Have consequences for people who don't follow safety rules and incentives for those who do.

Employees have an obligation to comply with OSHA law. At the same time, employers make efforts to get staff to buy in the rules. Make it clear that the rules there must be adhered to increase safety for employees.

If you were injured on the job or are the loved one of someone who died at work, please contact the Law Firm of Figeroux and Associates for a free consultation by calling 955-768-8845 or scheduling an appointment by visiting www.falaw.us l

Call Equity Smart Realty at 888-670-6791 for a FREE consultation.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.IJLEF.ORG FOR MORE IMMIGRATION NEWS & UPDATES

3

TIME FOR ACTION

ICE Announces New VictimCentered Policy, Showing a Favorable Shift Toward Vulnerable Immigrants

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

BY KATE GOETTEL IMMIGRATIONIMPACT.COM

Email immjournal@aol.com

U

.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced this week a new policy designed to honor and protect vulnerable immigrants. The new policy addresses protections for survivors of violence, trafficking, and domestic abuse.

Issued on August 11, the policy states that ICE will exercise prosecutorial discretion “to facilitate access to justice and victim-based immigration benefits by noncitizen crime victims.” Among other things, ICE will refrain from enforcement actions, absent exceptional circumstances, until U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) makes a final or interim decision on an application for immigration benefits.

Importantly, the memo defines “enforcement actions” broadly to constrain ICE, in most circumstances, from taking the following actions against individuals with pending applications for victim-based protections: •Issuing detainers.

•Issuing a Notice to Appear, the charging document in immigration court proceedings.

•Stopping, questioning, or arresting an individual.

•Detention.

•Executing a removal order; i.e., deportation from the United States.

The new policy also constrains ICE from taking enforcement actions during a pending criminal investigation or prosecution, unless authorized by headquarters officials. It puts the onus on ICE to identify victims “as soon as practicable.”

U.S. immigration laws provide numerous forms of protection for noncitizens who are the victims of domestic violence, trafficking, or other qualifying crimes. These laws, while applicable to both men and women, were largely passed to protect crimes against women and girls.

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

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994 included provisions that allow noncitizen victims of domestic violence to obtain immigration relief independent of their abusive spouse or parent. The Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 2000 (VAWA 2000) created new forms of immigration relief for noncitizen victims of violent crime (U visas) and victims of sexual assault or trafficking (T visas). The new policy also applies to applicants for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, who are young people who were abused, neglected, or abandoned by one or more parents.

ICE’s announcement comes on the heels of other positive victim-centered actions from the government. In June, USCIS announced a new policy to expedite applications for U visas. ICE also recently launched a new hotline for victims.

The new policy supersedes a 2019 memorandum that made it more difficult for U visa holders to access prosecutorial discretion, such as release from detention and deferral of removal.

The policy recognizes the purpose of

many humanitarian and survivor-based immigration protections: “When victims have access to humanitarian protection, regardless of their immigration status, and can feel safe in coming forward, it strengthens the ability of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, including ICE, to detect, investigate, and prosecute crimes.”

This new announcement is not just a shift in policy, but a shift in tone and philosophy for an agency that has traditionally cast a skeptical eye to all undocumented migrants, regardless of their status as survivors. While it is yet to be seen how this will play out in the field—a stumbling block for many new immigrant-friendly policies—this is a positive development for some of the most vulnerable migrants.l Kate Goettel is the Legal Director, Litigation at the American Immigration Council.

For a FREE confidential consultation, call 855-768-8845 or visit www.askthelawyer.us to schedule an appointment.

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

VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.IJLEF.ORG FOR MORE IMMIGRATION NEWS & UPDATES

CIVIL RIGHTS

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Krome ICE Officers Physically Abuse and Refuse Services for Individual with Mental Illness, Allege Immigration Advocates

BY SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER

M

IAMI: Immigration advocates have filed a complaint charging Krome detention guards dragged and choked a Honduran man amid a psychological emergency, after they had continuously refused him treatment. This is the latest in a series of filings that illustrate the horrific abuses individuals detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities across the country face daily.

The complaint, made to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), was filed by attorneys with the SPLC’s Immigrant Justice Project on behalf of Gustavo Rafael Escano, who suffered extensive injuries as a result of the incident.

Freedom for Immigrants, which received the initial report from Mr. Escano on their national abuse reporting hotline, and Doctors For America joined the SPLC in submitting the complaint.

“My client needed urgent medical attention due to a mental health crisis.

Instead of listening to his pleas, guards decided to use force to quiet him, leav-

Honduran Man in the Krome Detention Center was Unconstitutionally Denied Treatment for Bipolar Disorder and PTSD,then Dragged and Choked During a Psychological Emergency ing my client with injuries on various parts of his body. ICE and its subcontractors have not given my client proper medical care at Krome,” said Felix Montanez, senior staff attorney with the SPLC’s Immigrant Justice Project.

The abuses laid out in the complaint are in violation of federal law, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and ICE’s own policies. It is illegal to withhold medical care from a person in cus-

tody, accommodate for an individual’s mental illness, and it is against ICE policy to use restraint and use of force as a punishment. Furthermore, restraining someone via their neck is explicitly prohibited under any circumstances in ICE policy.

According to the complaint, a review of Mr. Escano’s medical records clearly documents that he is gravely disabled by his bipolar 1 disorder and has been expe-

riencing mania and acute suicidality while in detention. However, rather than providing him assistance when Mr. Escano requested to see a medical provider to help with an episode, guards forced him into solitary confinement (which triggers his PTSD and psychological emergencies) by dragging him on a concrete floor, threatening to pepper spray him, and kneeling on his back and neck. As a result of the incident, Mr. Escano suffered injuries including bleeding from his head, abrasions on his elbows, and had badly cut up his fingers from holding onto a metal grate. He expressed that the guards abused him as retaliation for previous complaints of not receiving mental health treatment.

In testimony included in the complaint, Shannon Connolly, M.D. with Doctors of America noted, “Uncontrolled bipolar I disorder constitutes a serious medical need and risk to the patient, and a reasonable medical professional would perceive it as important for such a patient to receive treatment from a team able to provide for the unique needs and management of people with this condition.”l

VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.IJLEF.ORG FOR MORE IMMIGRATION NEWS & UPDATES

WORKERS’ MATTERS

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Excluded Workers Fund/ from page 1 dedicated to supporting workers who couldn’t qualify for government assistance during the pandemic.

The fund has the potential to be very helpful to about 300,000 of the workers hit hardest by COVID and who were deemed essential to getting New York through the pandemic. Among them: food service workers, domestic workers, construction workers, cleaners, farmworkers, care workers, street vendors and more.

At one point, more than half of the city’s immigrants were unemployed, experts estimated. But workers without legal immigration status couldn’t get unemployment benefits or stimulus checks to help make ends meet for the past nearly year and a half.

Some workers went on a hunger strike to advocate for this fund — and they won.

But… there are some concerns Workers, advocates and some lawmakers who pushed for the Excluded Workers Fund are worried about potential barriers — namely the strict set of documentation required by the state’s Department of Labor to determine eligibility.

The final list of requirements was published on July 27, with a new one added: Workers now have to show that they lost 50% of their earnings.

Advocates and excluded workers fear this new requirement will be very hard to prove — especially for self-employed workers and workers in the cash economy — and it’s unique to the Excluded Workers Fund. People do not have to show a 50% loss of income to get Unemployment Insurance, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or to qualify for other relief like the state’s Emergency Rent Assistance Program.

Lessons learned from rent relief?

Maybe not Advocates are concerned the state will repeat mistakes that made it difficult to get needed money out to people through the rent relief program, both the first and now the second time around.

New York distributed less than $1 million of the $2.7 billion for rent relief in

the program’s first two months. Cuomo recently announced plans to further “streamline” the application process so more people can get relief quicker, but has yet to release those details.

Website glitches and other technical problems have made it difficult for people to apply for rent relief, and advocates and lawmakers are concerned that the Excluded Workers Fund application launch will see the same issues.

Despite these concerns, you can get your application ready and start submitting it at any time.

Here’s what you need to know to apply for the Excluded Workers Fund You can qualify for the Excluded Workers Fund if you: •Lived in New York State before March 27, 2020, and continue to live in New

York State •Are not eligible for and did not receive unemployment insurance or COVID-19 income relief •Earned less than $26,208 in the year before April 2021 •Lost income from March 27, 2020, through April 1, 2021, because you lost work, couldn’t work because of COVID or if the person making your household’s income died or became disabled A new important thing to know: In addition to the income limit, the state is now also requiring workers to show that they lost at least 50% of their weekly income from the end of February 2020 through April 2021.

How much can you get from the fund?

The Excluded Workers Fund has two tiers: •Tier one: $15,600, which is what one would have earned through unemployment insurance for the past year •Tier two: $3,200, which is how much someone would have gotten from the stimulus checks Tier one requires more documents.l

To continue reading this article, including the Dos and Donts, please visit www.ijlef.org This story was published on August 5, 2021 by THE CITY.

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IMMIGRANTS’ CONCERNS

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Attorney General Garland Brings Back Administrative Closure for Immigration Judges

BY EMMA WINGER

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ttorney General Merrick Garland vacated Matter of Castro-Tum on July 15, reviving a key tool to help judges prioritize cases in the overburdened immigration court system and allow people facing deportation to pursue all available paths to legal status.

In Matter of Cruz-Valdez, the attorney general reversed a decision by prior Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Garland restored the ability of immigration judges (IJs) and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) to administratively close deportation proceedings nationwide.

Administrative closure is an important tool long used by IJs and the BIA to temporarily pause removal proceedings in appropriate circumstances. When a case is administratively closed, it is removed from the court docket and there are no future hearing dates. The case is not dismissed or terminated entirely. Instead, it will be put back on the court docket when either the noncitizen or the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Attorney General Garland Photo: Wikimedia Commions

(DHS) successfully move to “recalendar” the case.

Until 2018, IJs and the BIA used administrative closure to pause proceedings for a range of reasons. Administrative closure allowed noncitizens to pursue legal status that could only be obtained outside of deportation proceedings, through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Individuals facing deportation due to unlawful criminal convictions could pursue appeals or other post-conviction challenges. Administrative clo-

sure also helped protect the rights of individuals with mental illness, including pausing proceedings to allow for mental health treatment.

Administrative closure could also deprioritize certain cases. DHS would agree to administrative closure of removal proceedings for immigrants who were not a high priority for removal.

In 2018, Attorney General Sessions issued an opinion in Matter of Castro Tum declaring that IJs and the BIA did not have the authority to administratively close most cases. Since that decision, three federal courts of appeals have rejected Castro Tum. Only the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit agreed with Castro Tum. Even the Sixth Circuit later found that immigration courts still had authority to administratively close cases for individuals pursuing a certain waiver with USCIS in order to apply for a green card.

In December 2020, the Trump adminisation enacted a rule that would have eliminated administrative closure. Two federal courts enjoined that rule, finding that it violated the Administrative

Procedure Act. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is reconsidering that rule.

In Matter of Cruz-Valdez, Attorney General Garland finally put an end to Castro Tum, noting that it “departed from long-standing practice.” The decision restores administrative closure nationwide, with the possible exception of cases within the Sixth Circuit.

Garland ordered IJs and the BIA to evaluate requests for administrative closure under the standards in place before Castro Tum was decided. In addition, DOJ will pursue notice-and-comment rulemaking which will allow the public to participate in any future rule on the availability of administrative closure.

Garland’s decision is common sense.

By recognizing and restoring the wellestablished legal authority to administratively close cases, the attorney general gives IJs and the BIA an essential tool that will ease the burden on the backlogged immigration courts and allow for more flexibility in pursuing the fair and just resolution of deportation proceedings. l

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IMMIGRANTS’ CONCERNS

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Defeat Delta: Key to NYC Vaccination Mandate Begins August 17

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EW YORK: Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the Key to NYC vaccination mandate for indoor dining, entertainment and fitness starts August 17. Enforcement will begin, with a multi-agency coalition, on September 13. Read the Executive Order here.

“New York City has one mission: defeat the delta variant and build a recovery for all of us,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The Key to NYC sends a powerful message that vaccination will unlock our city’s potential, and we’ll stop at nothing to save lives and keep New Yorkers safe.”

“The Key to NYC will unlock many of our favorite activities,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi.

“Vaccination makes every activity safer and this is a common-sense precaution to keep patrons of gyms, restaurants and indoor entertainment healthy.”

The City will conduct an aggressive outreach and education campaign, including a $10 million multi-platform paid media campaign. This campaign will include radio, TV, digital, social,

Mayor de Blasio.Editorial credit: CJ Hanevy / Shutterstock.com

subway live boards. Approximately 600 canvassers will be going door to door for affected businesses with the goal of reaching every zip code in the city in the next three weeks.

Key to NYC affected businesses include: Indoor entertainment •Movie theaters •Music and concert venues •Museums & galleries •Aquariums & zoos •Professional sports arenas Indoor stadiums •Convention centers

•Exhibition halls •Performing arts theaters •Bowling alleys •Arcades •Pool & billiard halls •Recreational game centers •Adult entertainment •Indoor play areas •Indoor dining •Restaurants •Catering halls •Hotel banquet rooms •Bars •Nightclubs •Cafeterias •Grocery stores with indoor dining •Coffee shops •Fast food/quick service with indoor dining Indoor fitness •Gyms •Fitness centers• Fitness classes •Pools •Indoor studios •Dance studios

Each Key to NYC business should consider appropriate reasonable accommodations, mindful of the purposes behind this policy and public health.

There are multiple ways to show proof of vaccination: •A photo or hard copy of their CDC vaccination card •NYC COVID Safe App •New York State Excelsior App •Official vaccine record •A photo or hard copy of an official vaccination record of a vaccine administered outside the United States for one of the following vaccines: AstraZeneca/SK Bioscience, Serum Institute of India/COVISHIELD and Vaxzevria, Sinopharm, or Sinovac.

Affected small businesses with questions can call the NYC Department of Small Business Services hotline at 888SBS-4NYC (888-727-4692), 311, or go online to nyc.gov/keytonyc.

Penalties for failure to comply after September 13 start at $1,000 and can reach $5,000 for repeated violators.l

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8

IN THE COMMUNITY

New York City’s Population Booms — But Not for Everyone, Everywhere

BY YOAV GONEN, CLIFFORD MICHEL AND WILL WELCH, THE CITY

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ew York City’s population surged by more than 600,000 over the past decade, to a record high of 8.8 million people, even as the census count took place during the height of the pandemic.

Yet growth was not equitably spread across communities throughout the five boroughs, the latest U.S. Census data released Thursday shows, with the ranks of Black New Yorkers dropping by 4.5%.

The overall shift marks a 7.7% boost in residents between 2010 and 2020 — and of nearly 10% since 2000 — one of the highest rates of increase among large cities nationally.

The numbers show population hikes in every borough: •Brooklyn’s count grew by 9.2% since 2010, to 2,736,074 — the biggest rise of any borough.

•Queens increased 7.8%, to 2,405,464 •Manhattan went up 6.8%, to 1,694,251 •The Bronx jumped 6.3% to 1,472,654 •Staten Island expanded by 5.8%, to 495,747.

But that growth diverged between different racial groups and boroughs — with some seeing spikes while others suffered losses.

The most dramatic differences emerged in Brooklyn, where Asian population surged by 43%, while the borough’s Black population declined by 8.7% in the

past decade. White population growth of 8.4% almost equaled the Black decline in Brooklyn.

“If you listened to people on the ground, you realized what was going on. The population is shifting because of the housing crisis, rising rents, the lack of housing ownership and rising foreclosure,” said Dr. Zulema Blair, the redistricting research director at Medgar Evers College’s Center for Law and Social Justice. “We saw all of these things mounting and we knew that the Black community would be impacted the most.”

Blair added that some Black Brooklynites may have moved to Staten Island and The Bronx for more affordable housing.

Overall, New York City lost 4.5% of its Black population in its last decade, with declines also in Manhattan and Queens and roughly stable numbers in The Bronx. Alone among boroughs, Staten Island saw its Black population grow, by 5.7%.

The city’s Hispanic population — which can be of any race — saw uneven 6.6% growth, with an 8.8% increase in Queens and The Bronx, and a 20% hike in Staten Island, while declining slightly in Manhattan and rising just 4% in Brooklyn.

Asian leaders, meanwhile, are hopeful that the new Census count could bolster ambitions to create new legislative districts focused on their communities and

needs.

‘People Want to Remain’ The city’s growth in overall residents came during a period of relatively strict immigration enforcement — particularly under the administration of former President Donald Trump. That led some observers to credit the spike in the city’s population on relocation from other parts of the U.S. rather than on new immigrants.

The 2020 Census also came at a time when hundreds of thousands of households were moving out from New York City because of the coronavirus pandemic — prompting concerns the exodus could hobble the city in the long term.

Julie Menin, who served for nearly two years as Mayor Bill de Blasio’s census director, said the numbers should put that speculation to rest.

“It’s a testament to the fact that people want to remain in New York City, that they believe in New York City, and that this whole narrative that the city is over... was a completely false narrative,” said Menin, now the Democratic nominee for City Council on the Upper East Side.

She said the population growth comes with hefty payouts — including more federal funding and greater Congressional representation.

New York State earlier this year learned it had lost one seat in the House of Representatives as a result of the census, although it had been expected to drop

two. It would have held onto both seats if an additional 89 residents had been counted.

“Over 300 programs rely on the census data to determine allocation,” said Menin. “It means building new schools.

It means building more affordable housing. It means building more open space.

And it means making sure our infrastructure is where it needs to be.”

Looking for a COVID Comeback In a tweet Thursday, de Blasio touted the results and his administration’s role in growing the population, saying “this is what happens when you invest in pre-K for all, safe streets and working families.”

But city officials also acknowledged that a significant part of the increase might be attributable to a more accurate count.

In an online posting, the Department of City Planning said its staffers identified more than 122,000 housing units that for a number of reasons hadn’t appeared previously in the U.S. Census Bureau’s master file.

Many of these were chalked up to addresses that are “hard to find” because of informal subdivisions in multi-family houses, according to the posting.

The agency also identified more than 140,000 newly constructed units that hadn’t yet been entered into the bureau’s master file — with the combined effort opening the door for more than 500,000 people to be counted.

Kathryn Wylde, president of a group of business leaders known as the Partnership for New York City, said it was up to the next administration to maintain the city’s allure by focusing on the concerns that voters conveyed by selecting Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a moderate, as the Democratic candidate for mayor.

“Obviously the voters have declared that public safety and public health are the number one concern. And then the focus has to be on continued job growth, so that the economy remains viable,” said Wylde. “And finally affordability, so that again, as domestic migration continues — that people feel they can afford to live here.”

Wylde said the impact of COVID on the city’s population was still an open question, given that many of the changeof-addresses reported by the U.S. Postal Service weren’t marked as temporary.

“The question is how much of that exodus is or becomes permanent and, number two, does domestic immigration continue in the face of some of the changes that we expect will come from COVID — like the ability to work remotely from anywhere at a lot of jobs,” she added.l

This story was published on August 12, 2021 by THE CITY.

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FAMILY MATTERS

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Raising Readers: Tips for Motivating Kids and Teens to Read

BY MARY CAMPBELL

I

n our world of instant digital gratification, it can be difficult to motivate children and teens to read. When younger children are learning to read, the novelty of discovering a new book is often enough to keep them motivated. As they grow older, their enthusiasm may dwindle as schoolwork, sports, and screen time takes priority. However, reading is a critical part of childhood development.

Various studies have shown that children who regularly read for pleasure perform better at school, as it improves memory, concentration, critical thinking, and language skills. Reading also allows kids to develop empathy and imagination, and it broadens their knowledge of the world.

Some kids naturally love to read, but others would prefer to do almost anything else and require a bit more encouragement. Screens can also prove to be a major distraction, since they provide so many other attractive options instantly, from social media and gaming to bingewatching movies and series. Initially, motivating kids to read may take a bit of effort, but a few simple tips can help to develop their love of reading for life.

Explore Their Interests Find reading materials that cover your child's interests and passions, or even movie choices. Encourage older kids and teens to choose their own books and reading materials, without criticizing their choices. YA (young adult) novels address issues that resonate with teens, from relationship battles to peer pressure and struggles with parents. The easier it is for kids to relate to what they're reading, the more they'll read. So many great books have recently been made into popular films and series. Encourage teens to read print versions before or after watching movie adaptations and then compare notes on which was better, or what was different or similar.

Provide a Variety of Reading Materials Some kids may feel intimidated or bored by books, so provide different reading matter that suits their interests and reading level. This could be in the form of comics, joke books, recipe books, graphic novels, poetry or even listening to audiobooks. Car drives or long journeys can provide a great opportunity to listen to audiobooks, especially since they can

download their own selections onto their devices. If older kids and teens enjoy keeping up with current events, subscribe to magazines, newspapers and blogs and discuss what they're reading with them.

Encourage them to try different genres and find a compelling book series to keep them engaged.

Set a Reading Schedule Create a regular reading schedule that suits your child's lifestyle and concentration level. Younger kids may lack the concentration to read for extended periods, but they should be able to manage ten to fifteen minutes a day. A cozy reading nook helps to encourage little ones to settle down to read by themselves. Plan a regular time where you read to your kids, and ask them to read to you too. Older kids may find it difficult to fit reading time in daily, but maybe they can schedule an hour or two over weekends.

Compulsory family reading times can also help to foster a regular reading habit.

Create Reading Incentives Carefully Setting incentives can motivate kids to read until the joy of reading becomes its own reward. Completed reading logs that

are rewarded with small prizes such as stickers and sweets work for younger children, but the goal is always to perpetuate an intrinsic love for reading. Often, when the prizes are stopped, the reading stops too, so use extrinsic rewards carefully. Screen time can be used as a reward for older kids and teens who resist reading. Use library visits as a reward for children who are starting to enjoy reading, or create a book allowance that they may only spend on reading material. It's important to make sure that your child is reading at the right level of difficulty. If they're reading books that are too difficult, it can discourage them to read at all, but if they're reading material that's not challenging enough, boredom may set in.

Tempt older teens to read adult books too, especially ones that you've read so that you can share ideas and reviews.

Motivating children to read is a process of modeling consistent reading habits as well as encouraging them to find material that resonates with them as they grow and change. A passion for reading will provide your kids with a lifetime of learning, connection, and creativity.l

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MONEY MATTERS

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Tips to Manage Your Credit During a Divorce

BY CHRIS TOBIAS

A

lthough a divorce does not affect your credit directly, it can indirectly result in financial problems that can hurt your credit. Take for instance a situation where you lose one of two household incomes; the loss of that income can cause financial strain which results in missed payments on your loans, credit cards and various other bills. So, when you change your marital status, your credit is not affected, but it is the changes to your personal finances which are typically associated with divorce that can have a negative effect on your credit.

It is important to note that divorce does not automatically separate the credit you established with your previous spouse.

What that means is that even though your debts are apportioned as part of your divorce decree, you will both still be held liable for the debt by creditors. Also, your account details, even the negative information like high credit utilization and late payments, can be reported to the credit bureaus and end up in your credit report as long as you are connected with

the account. In the event that your exspouse promises to continue making payments on a joint account but defaults somehow, those missed payments will reflect on your credit report as well because you are equally responsible for that debt.

How to Manage Debt in a Divorce While the divorce itself is not significant to your credit status, it matters how the joint debt and credit accounts are managed. If you want to be able to maintain your financial and emotional balance, it is necessary to take the steps to manage your credit early. The following are three ways that you can manage and protect your credit in a divorce.

Make a plan - You should create a plan before you even separate; do not wait until last minute to plan for life after divorce. If possible, before filing for divorce, you should both weigh up your joint loans, credit accounts and other bills. Then, you can make the decision regarding who will be in charge of pay-

ing each one. In the event that you have savings accounts that are entwined, it is necessary to find out the best way to divide assets. Asset division can be done by determining the amount that each person added to the account.

Split or close your accounts - In other words, where possible, pay off and close all joint accounts. If it is not possible for you to do that, you can discuss converting the joint account to a personal account with your card issuer or lender.

Your ex-spouse will then be removed as an authorized user or account holder.

Also make sure that your name is removed from every open account your ex-spouse plans to continue using.

Be responsible - It is important to remember that while waiting for your accounts to be completely separated, there is potential for you or your exspouse to cause damage to each other's credit or to run up joint debt. This is something you want to avoid at all costs.

If you want your divorce process to go smoothly, and you want to maintain good

credit during and after the divorce process, it is imperative that you act responsibly early on. Make it a point to make your minimum payments on time, and avoid racking up any debt that you don't plan to pay off yourself.

While a divorce can be very difficult to go through for couples, there are certain steps that you can take to make the process less stressful. If you do not take the issue of finances seriously and if you do not manage your credit well before, during and after the divorce, you may find yourself with bad credit and struggling to cope financially after the divorce. So, start taking the necessary steps to manage and protect your credit before you even file for divorce.l

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LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

11

With Senate Vote on Budget Reconciliation, Decades-long Fight for Immigrant Rights One Step Closer to Victory

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ew York, NY: Today, (August 11) Senate Democrats passed the first step towards a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation infrastructure package. The ambitious legislation earmarks $107 billion to provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients, and immigrant essential workers, including hundreds of thousands of immigrant New Yorkers.

In order to bypass a Senate Republican filibuster of the legislation, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer opted to pass the bill via budget reconciliation.

A parliamentary procedure, budget reconciliation allows bills that change spending, revenues, and the federal debt limit to pass in the Senate with a simple majority. Legalization is expected to result in $149 billion in GDP and $39 billion in federal, state, and local taxes, according to a recently released FWD.us report. Now, the spending plan moves to the House of Representatives, which will

Senator Schumer..Editorial credit: Ron Adar / Shutterstock.com

likely vote on the legislation the week of August 22.

Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition: “Today’s vote marked an enormous step forward in our decades-long battle for a pathway to citizenship for millions of hard-working immigrant families.

Essential workers, Dreamers, and TPS holders have been living in limbo for far

too long, threatened by court rulings that can throw their lives in turmoil at a moment’s notice and the whims of politicians, who can with the sweep of a signature on an executive order rip them from their families and the safety of the only place they have known as home. We thank Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and President Joe Biden for heeding the will of American voters and doing the smart thing to hasten America's economic recovery. But the fight is far from finished. Congress must now pass the final budget reconciliation package that includes a path to citizenship for essential workers and others. It’s what Americans want and need to rebuild their communities and secure a future for their families.”

Background In July, the New York Immigration Coalition (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, the New York Immigration Coalition (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.

The NYIC’s work is part of a multiorganizational and national effort spearheaded by FIRM to transform America’s immigration system. A July FWD.us report revealed a clear majority of Americans support legalization for Dreamers, TPS recipients, and essential workers. The report also outlined that legalization would provide $149 billion in GDP and $39 billion in federal, state, and local taxes. l

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IN THE NEWS

12

Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez Dismisses Over 3,500 Marijuana Cases Following Legalization

B

rooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today, [July 27] asked the Court to dismiss 3,578 marijuana cases that remained on the docket mostly because of open warrants. With this move, nearly all marijuana cases in Brooklyn have been dismissed. Since the State Legislature legalized marijuana in March, the DA’s Office dismissed about 240 active cases where marijuana was charged, while marijuana charges that are included in felony cases are being dismissed in the course of court proceedings.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, “For too long, criminalization of marijuana has disproportionately impacted young people and communities of color whose members made up about 90% of those arrested. These arrests ruined the lives of thousands of people over the years, saddling many with criminal convictions that prevented them from pursuing

opportunities in life. That was why, in Brooklyn, we stopped prosecuting possession cases in 2014 and went further in 2017, declining prosecution of nearly all smoking cases as well. A year later, we also moved to dismiss warrant cases.

“I am gratified that the New York Legislature legalized marijuana earlier this year in a bill that included an automatic expungement provision. Since its passage, my Office has moved to dismiss open cases and stated we will no longer bring pending marijuana charges before grand or petit juries. Today, I asked the Court to dismiss over 3,500 warrant cases that remained in the system, effectively clearing the Brooklyn docket from these vestiges of previous models of policing and prosecution. I hope that these actions will help strengthen community trust in the justice system and allow us to continue moving forward with more fairness and equity.”

The District Attorney today appeared before Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Keisha Espinal and requested that 3,578 pending marijuana cases be dismissed and that the Court vacate any relevant arrest warrants, judgments of conviction and guilty pleas related to those cases.

The District Attorney said his Office has been leading the city in marijuana decriminalization. His predecessor, the late Ken Thompson, stopped prosecuting marijuana possession cases in Brooklyn in 2014. In 2017, District Attorney Gonzalez, as the acting DA, went further and declined to prosecute nearly all marijuana smoking cases as well. As a result, marijuana arrests in Brooklyn, which numbered in the thousands every year earlier in that decade, had slowed to a trickle by 2018. In September of 2018, the District Attorney moved to vacate over 3,000 summons warrants for marijuana possession and dismissed the underlying cases. In December of that same year, he moved to dismiss over 1,400 criminal court warrants. His Office also initiated a program to erase and seal old marijuana convictions and DA Gonzalez urged Albany to clear those convictions en masse through legislation.

Currently, only eight cases that include marijuana charges remain in Brooklyn Criminal Court; they involve allegations of driving while impaired. In Supreme Court, marijuana charges that are included in more serious felony cases will be dismissed in the course of court proceedings and those charges will not be brought before any jury.

The District Attorney thanked the Office of Court Administration, especially Antonio Diaz, Acting Chief Clerk of New York City Criminal Court, and Charles Blaha, Acting Borough Chief Clerk of Brooklyn Criminal Court, for facilitating the dismissals. l

USCIS Removes Barriers to U.S. Citizenship for Children Born Abroad Through ART

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ASHINGTON: Today, [August 5) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced updated policy guidance affecting children born outside of the United States and the determination of whether children born through assisted reproductive technology (ART) are considered to have been born “in wedlock.”

This policy update will allow a nongenetic, non-gestational legal parent of a child to transmit U.S. citizenship to the child if the parent is married to the child’s genetic or gestational parent at the time of the child’s birth, and the relevant jurisdiction recognizes both parents as the child’s legal parents.

“USCIS is taking a crucial step towards ensuring fair access and support for all families and their loved ones,” said USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou. “We are committed to removing unnecessary barriers promoting policies for all people as they embark on their journey to citizenship and beyond.”

This guidance will also be applied to the family-based petitions for determining whether a child is born in wedlock.

Previously, USCIS required that the child’s genetic parents (or the legal gestational parent and one of the genetic parents) be married to one another for a child to be considered born in wedlock.

In 2014, USCIS updated its policy to allow a parent who is the gestational and legal parent of a child under the law of the relevant jurisdiction at the time of the child’s birth to transmit U.S. citizenship to the child if all other citizenship requirements are met.l

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HOW TO GET A GREEN CARD

13

Green Card for Asylees

U

.S. immigration law allows asylees to apply for lawful permanent resident (LPR) status after they have been physically present in the U.S. for at least one year since being granted asylum.

This article provides specific information for asylees in the United States who want to become LPRs (get a Green Card). This is called “adjustment of status.”

Eligibility for Adjustment of Status In order to be eligible for a Green Card as an asylee, you must meet the following requirements: •You properly file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status; •You are physically present in the United States at the time you file your Form I485; •You have been physically present in the United States for at least one year after you were granted asylum; •You continue to meet the definition of a refugee, or to be the spouse or child of a refugee; •You have not firmly resettled in any foreign country; •Your grant of asylum has not been terminated; •You are admissible to the United States

and the category you are adjusting under.

Eligibility requirements for waivers and other forms of relief vary.

How to Apply If you are an asylee and you have been physically present in the United States for at least one year after being granted asylum, you may apply to become an LPR by filing Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.

for lawful permanent residence or eligible for a waiver of inadmissibility or other form of relief; and •You merit the favorable exercise of discretion.

Bars to Adjustment Depending on how you entered the United States or if you committed a particular act or violation of immigration law, you may be barred from adjusting status. The bars to adjustment do not apply to you if you are applying for a Green Card based on your asylee status.

Grounds of Inadmissibility To qualify for a Green Card, you must be admissible to the United States. Reasons

why you may be inadmissible are listed in the INA 212(a) and are called grounds of inadmissibility.

While in general, USCIS can only approve your Green Card application if none of the applicable grounds of inadmissibility apply to you, certain grounds of inadmissibility do not apply to asylum adjustments.

In addition, some grounds of inadmissibility may be waived for asylees applying for adjustment of status. If a waiver or other form of relief is granted, USCIS may approve your application for a Green Card if you are otherwise eligible.

Whether a waiver or other form of relief is available depends on the specific inadmissibility ground(s) that applies to you

What to Submit (Principal Applicant) The alien who was granted asylum is called the principal applicant. If you are the principal applicant, you should submit the following documentation and evidence to apply for a Green Card: •Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status with the required fee or with Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver; •Proof of your grant of asylum (such as a copy of the letter, decision of an immigration judge, or Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record that shows the date you were granted asylum); •Evidence of one-year physical presence in the U.S.; •Two passport-style photographs;

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continued on page 14

HOW TO GET A GREEN CARD

14

DATA: Refugee Admissions on Pace for Historic Lows

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ashington D.C.: New data released by the State Department indicate that annual refugee admissions for Fiscal Year 2021 remain on pace for historic lows. In July, the U.S. resettled 1,463 refugees, totaling 6,246 for the fiscal year ending September 30. The lowest admissions level since the creation of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program in 1980 came in FY2020 under the Trump administration, when the U.S. resettled just 11,814 refugees.

In May 2021, President Biden raised the all-time low refugee admissions ceiling set by former President Trump from 15,000 to 62,500. Since taking office, the Biden administration has sought to rebuild the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program after four consecutive years of cuts and a wave of resettlement office closures, further complicated by challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In its first full six months in office, the administration has resettled the following numbers of refugees: •February: 377 •March: 283 •April: 272

•May: 915 •June: 1,530 •July: 1,463 According to the State Department data, the top countries of origin for resettled refugees include the Democratic Republic of Congo (2,783), Ukraine (687), Afghanistan (494), Burma (415), and Syria (414).

“In some ways, these figures represent progress. There is a significant upward trend in recent months, indicating that the administration’s efforts are making an impact,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, President and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. “However, admissions remain tragically and historically low compared to America’s capacity to welcome and the urgent need of millions of families across the globe.”

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that there are 82.4 million displaced people, of which 26.5 million are refugees.

“Given the humanitarian imperative, especially in conflict zones like Afghanistan, we simply have to do bet-

ter,” noted Vignarajah. “While the challenges are numerous, it is critical that the administration take all necessary steps to restore the program to its full capacity — otherwise, President Biden’s promise to welcome 125,000 refugees in FY2022 will remain out of reach.”l —Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

Green Card for Asylees/ continued from page 13 •Copy of your government-issued identity document with photograph; •Copy of your birth certificate (if available); •Copy of your passport page with nonimmigrant visa (if available); •Copy of your passport page with admission or parole stamp (issued by a U.S. immigration officer) (if available); •Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (you may submit this form together with •Form I-485 or later, for example, when USCIS requests it or in person at your interview, if any); •Certified police and court records of criminal charges, arrests, or convictions (if applicable); and •Form I-602, Application by Refugee for Waiver of Grounds of Excludability (if applicable).

Family Members If you were granted derivative asylum status based on your spouse or parent’s principal asylum grant, you may apply for a Green Card.l —USCIS.gov Note: Immigration Law is complex.

Consult an attorney from the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association (AILA). Get a FREE consultation by calling 855-768-8845.

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BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

15

Biden Administration Announces Plans to Ramp up Deportations of Families Arriving at the Border

BY AARON REICHLIN-MELNICK IMMIGRATION IMPACT

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s the number of families coming to the border has increased from June to July, the Biden administration is beginning yet another crackdown.

Late on July 26, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would begin subjecting some families to “expedited removal.” This legal procedure allows individual immigration officials to issue deportation orders without the non-citizen ever going in front of a judge.

Since March 2020, people arriving at the border have generally been subject to a policy known as Title 42. Through this policy, individuals and families are expelled back to Mexico or their home countries without a formal deportation order. Only a small number of people who could not be expelled or released were put through the expedited removal process. Monday’s announcement marks the first time the government will use expedited removal on large numbers of people at the border since Title 42 went into place.

Although the DHS announcement contained little information, some details have emerged since Monday. Under the new plan, it appears that all families will be put through the initial stages of the expedited removal process. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers must ask each family whether they are afraid to return to their home country.

The new policy indicates that those families who tell CBP officials they are afraid to return home will be taken out of the expedited removal process. They will then get to pursue their protection claims before the immigration court outside of detention. This means that, unlike in previous years, the Biden administration will not send families who express a fear of return to detention centers for socalled “credible fear” interviews.

Families who do not—or are unable to—express a fear while in CBP custody, however, will have an order of expedited removal issued against them. They will then be rapidly deported through the Electronic Nationality Verification Program. This program allows CBP to deport people directly from the border without ever sending them to an immigration detention center first.

The Biden administration stressed that this system would permit people to apply for asylum. But decades of experience with expedited removal suggest that many asylum seekers will be deported in error.

A 2005 study of expedited removal by

Editorial credit: Vic Hinterlang / Shutterstock.com

the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) revealed that the system is prone to major flaws.

15% of all people who expressed a fear of returning to their home country were erroneously deported without receiving a chance to seek asylum because the CBP officer didn’t write down what the person said.

When USCIRF conducted a follow-up study on expedited removal in 2016, it found that significant problems contin-

ued to exist. In many cases CBP officers continued to falsely report that asylum seekers had claimed not to be fleeing persecution.

Those studies show the real dangers of the Biden administration’s plans to resume expedited removal for families.

If an asylum-seeking family tells a CBP officer that they are fleeing persecution and the officer does not write that down, the family could be deported back to harm within hours.

As the USCIRF study shows, this is not an idle threat. On Wednesday, the union representing the Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley tweeted: “THE CRISIS ON THE BORDER IS REAL” and called for the Biden administration to “END CATCH & RELEASE, REINSTATE MPP, AND EXPAND TITLE 42!”

With expedited removal going back into place for families, the power of life and death for asylum seekers is now in the hands of the very same people calling for an increase in deportations.

Expedited removal does not provide sufficient protections for asylum seekers.

Rogue agents and structural failures in the system have acted as a barrier between vulnerable people arriving at the border and the right to apply for asylum.

Unfortunately, the Biden administration has not learned the lessons of history and has chosen once again to turn to deterrence as a means of managing the border.l

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GENERATIONS

16

9 Tips to Help Your Brain Stay Active as a Senior impact the way your brain works.

Overall, there are a great number of health benefits to staying social and interacting with others.

BY CHRIS TOBIAS

T

he older you get, the more difficult it becomes to keep your brain active. But there are ways seniors can stay in shape mentally and even build new neural connections that will help them stay sharp later in life. Mental decline is just as damaging and difficult to cope with as physical decline, so it's important to try and combat this as much as possible. How can you do this?

1. Stay Active Exercise as a senior citizen is vital for the maintenance of brain health, and even more so for the prevention of cognitive decline with age. In a bid to stay sharp and limit brain atrophy later in life, seniors should take advantage of all types of brain-boosting exercise from walking to gardening. The benefits can be seen in the brain's memory center and will vastly improve brain function even when you're asleep. All types of physical activity are good, even just 30 minutes a day of slow movements can make a difference.

2. Use Puzzles and Memory Games Whether you're into puzzles or memory

games, or both, they stimulate areas of the brain that are important for attention, concentration, and memory recall. For example, in one study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), participants were given a set of puzzles to do twice a week. These participants showed signs of reduced brain atrophy in certain areas of the brain.

Another study by NCBI, showed that crossword puzzles might reduce the risk of cognitive decline via their effect on improving cognitive reserve.

Alternatively, there are certain ways to stimulate your brain beyond the classic tic-tac-toe or crossword puzzles. A study called Revitalizing the Aged Brain by

Europe PMC, found that playing chess on a regular basis caused normal cognitive aging to slow down. Chess can also influence changes in the prefrontal cortex, which is where decision-making happens, and the white matter of the brain, which helps with problem-solving.

3. Brush Up On Your Social Skills Seniors should make an effort to engage in one-on-one social interactions with other people because it improves communication skills and increases the connections between different areas of the brain. Added to this, being social helps prevent mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression, both of which negatively

4. Read Fiction Although it's not clear why it's so beneficial, reading fiction can help improve reading comprehension and memory recall. It is thought that this is probably because people who read a lot tend to have bigger vocabularies, which makes it easier for them to make connections between different types of words when exposed to a larger amount of written materials.

5. Get Enough Sleep Sleep is critical to the prefrontal cortex function, which is responsible for both memory and executive functioning. One NCBI study, looked at the connection between not sleeping enough and cognitive decline. It's also believed that cognitive impairment in people with insomnia is due to a lack of deep sleep.

6. Participate in Arts and Crafts One of the best ways to stimulate the continued on page 15

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GENERATIONS Help Your Brain Stay Active/ continued from page 15

17 apy or increasing your exercise.

8. Never Stop Learning The brain is a "use it or lose it" organ, and this means that the more you challenge yourself to learn new things, the more healthy your brain is going to be. Learn something new every day, whether it's a language, a musical instrument, or anything else that stimulates your brain.

Remember that the older you get, the more it's important to keep learning things that help you stay mentally fit and sharp.

brain is through art. Being creative, activating your imagination, and seeing things differently all help keep your brain active. Regularly participating in arts and being creative also improves people's ability to make decisions.

7. Deal with Stress Stress can inhibit the release of hormones in the brain that help to support memory and learning. Stress will only ever affect you and your brain negatively, so find out how you best deal with your stress, whether that be seeking ther-

9. Eat Brain-Boosting Foods Specific nutrients can help you think better and improve your cognitive function.

Dozens of studies have found that seniors who eat foods rich in omega-3 have been proven to be less likely to develop dementia, most likely due to the fact that DHA (a type of fatty acid) is involved in neuron communication. Seniors should take a high-quality fish oil supplement as well, which will help their brain function better and stay sharp.

DON’T LET SOMEONE STEAL YOUR HOME.

It's important to have a healthy and balanced lifestyle that includes regular exercise, social interactions with those your own age, helping others, and performing arts and crafts. If you're under a lot of stress then it's important to find ways to cope with it to not become mentally frazzled.l

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Act now to check your deed!

Visit www.nyc.gov/deedfraud or call 311 for more information.

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JOBS & RECESSION

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9 Tips for Job Seekers in the Hospitality Industry companies' career pages and social media sites to learn about job fairs. Whether in person or virtual, these events provide the opportunity to meet with companies about multiple positions at once.

A

s vacation destinations and businesses reopen across the country, the hospitality industry is poised for significant growth. According to the latest jobs report, there were 343,000 new hires in the leisure and hospitality industry — the sector with the biggest portion of employment gains - in June alone. Many experts expect this momentum to continue to grow as travelers resume their typical summer vacation habits.

Whether you have experience in the hospitality field or not, heightened demand could mean big opportunities for job seekers. This is especially true for people interested in working in the vacation rental industry. According to a recent Skift Research survey of vacation rental users, 52% of guests plan to stay in a vacation rental more often in a post-pandemic environment.

"To meet growing demand, we're hiring for seasonal and full-time positions in top vacation destinations from the Carolina beaches to New England and the Oregon Coast," said Aurora Moore, a talent acquisition manager at Vacasa, a vacation rental management platform in North America. "Vacation rentals have rebounded quicker than any other seg-

ment of the travel industry, and we're in a position to offer good jobs and competitive pay to people who have lost work or had their hours reduced during the pandemic."

The need for employees — and seasonal hiring incentives — is great news for people on the job hunt. If the hospitality industry sounds like a good fit for you, there are a few things to keep in mind when you're searching and applying for new job opportunities:

hospitality staffing so high, some companies are offering incentives if you accept a job offer and stay in the role for a certain amount of time.

1) Apply now: Hiring is hot right now and will continue into peak travel months as necessary. To find the ideal job for your schedule and skill set, explore opportunities early before others scoop them up, as hiring is happening fast.

4) Know application necessities: Some companies will require an official resume while others may have a simplified application process. For example, candidates can text "Vacasa" to 97211 to start their application process.

2) Ask about bonuses: With demand for

5) Explore job fairs: Look at different

3) Consider safety: While safety protocols are common for guests, it's important companies are taking additional steps to keep hospitality employees safe as well. Make sure you ask about and are comfortable with current COVID protocols.

6) Know your availability: Know when you'll be able to start, what hours you can work and if you want a seasonal position or would prefer permanent employment.

Look for companies that offer the flexibility to meet your needs.

7) Research training: The hospitality industry is ideal for entry-level roles and for those who want to build their skills.

To ensure you're successful, ask about a company's training program during the interview process.

8) Factor in growth opportunity: Your "right now" job could turn into the right opportunity with advancement to grow.

Ask about career paths and opportunities for moving up in the organization.

9) Check your gut: If you feel like the company you're applying for is reputable and betters the community where it is located, you can feel good about working hard for them and supporting their mission. (BPT)l

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HEALTH

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Even Vaccinated People Need Free to Mask Up Indoors, Says CDC Summer Meals

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recent and unpublished CDC document has revealed that the Delta variant causes more severe symptoms and is as contagious as chickenpox. It also stated that fully vaccinated people are just as likely to spread the virus as those who are unvaccinated.

The document, which was initially reported by The Washington Post, has been confirmed to be authentic by CDC Rochelle Walensky. She told CNN, “I think people need to understand that we're not crying wolf here. This is serious. It's one of the most transmissible viruses we know about. Measles, chickenpox, this — they're all up there.”

The CDC officially updates this data on Friday. This information will take a Uturn on the agency’s previously published recommendations for the fully vaccinated.

Walensky is now urging even fully vaccinated individuals to wear face masks indoors, particularly in areas where the spread is high.

In schools, for example, everyone present must be masked including students, staff, and visitors. These preventive measures are utterly necessary to gain control of the infection surging across the

N

ew York City is committed to making free “grab & go” meals available for all New Yorkers starting June 28th across the city. To find a location online click the search link below, text “NYC FOOD” or “NYC COMIDA” to 877-877 (text messaging and data rates may apply), call 311 or visit GETFOODNYC(Open external link). All locations, dates and times are subject to change.

US. Walensky stated, “The measures we need to get this under control — they're extreme. The measures you need are extreme.”

Vaccinated people are comparatively far unlikely to get infected than the unvaccinated and thus safer. But when they do get infected, their bodies have just as much virus as that of the unvaccinated. That means they are just as likely to spread the infection as their unvaccinated counterparts.

Head of the Emory Vaccine Center, Dr. Walter Orenstein, commented on the CDC document and said, “The bottom line was that, in contrast to the other variants, vaccinated people, even if they didn't get sick, got infected and shed virus at similar levels as unvaccinated people who got infected.”

Please get vaccinated and mask up. Let’s all play our part in saving health and lives.l(ShopSpaceMask)

•No registration, documentation, or ID is required to receive a free breakfast or lunch •Meals Hubs are open for children and families Monday–Friday •Breakfast and lunch; service times will be 9am to 1pm •Vegetarian meals are available at all locations •All meals are Grab and Go, not to be consumed on site •Kosher and Halal meals are available at select locations l

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COVID-19 VACCINES

health, health, COMMUNITY! FAMILY community! family

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and

COVID-19 vaccines are safe, e昀ective and will help us all get back to the activities and people we love.

VISIT nyc.gov/vaccinefinder OR CALL 877-829-4692 to get your COVID-19 vaccine.

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Bill de Blasio Mayor Dave A. Chokshi, MD, MSc Commissioner

WELCOME TO AMERICA

22

ICE May Have Deported as Many as 70 US Citizens In the Last Five Years

BY MELISSA CRUZ

U

.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) keeps making an inexcusable error: it has been deporting U.S. citizens by mistake.

Sevent potential U.S. citizens were deported between 2015 and 2020, a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded.

They were deported even though U.S. citizens cannot be charged with violations of civil immigration law.

All told, available data shows that ICE arrested 674 potential U.S. citizens, detained 121, and deported 70 during the time frame the government watchdog analyzed.

The true number may be even higher.

The investigators found that neither ICE nor U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) maintain good enough records to determine just how many people the agencies arrested or deported in error.

ICE’s Inconsistent Training and Faulty Databases GAO finds two major flaws, among others, that could explain why this keeps happening. The government watchdog

first points to ICE’s inconsistent training materials.

ICE policy requires officers to work alongside or consult with a supervisor when questioning people who claim they are U.S. citizens. Despite this overall policy, ICE training materials say officers are free to interview such individuals alone. This discrepancy between ICE’s policy and training materials leaves room for low-level officers to make incredibly consequential decisions without a supervisor present.

Loopholes in ICE’s data systems complicate the issue further. Officers must document citizenship investigations in ICE databases—but aren’t required to update the citizenship field marking if someone is a citizen after the investigation is complete.

Because of this incomplete data, the GAO concludes that “ICE does not know the extent to which its officers are taking enforcement actions against individuals who could be U.S. citizens.”

Data analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, however, found that ICE wrongly identified at least 2,840 U.S. citizens as potentially eligible for removal between 2002 and 2017. At

Editorial credit: Vic Hinterlang / Shutterstock.com

least 214 were then taken into custody for a period of time.

Immigration Agencies’ History of Racial Profiling Studies have repeatedly shown that both ICE and CBP have a documented history of racial profiling and racism among their ranks. Consequently, people of color are often the target of these unwarranted immigration enforcement actions.

Accounts of mistaken arrest, detention, and deportation are all too common. And because immigrants are not guaranteed free counsel, some U.S. citizens have also languished in detention for far too long as well.

In one case, Davino Watson, a U.S. citizen from New York, was held in an

Alabama detention center for three years before being released by ICE. Without an attorney, he was left to prove his citizenship status to the agency alone.

Despite this clear violation of ICE’s protocol, an appeals court found that Watson was not entitled to any financial compensation for his unjust arrest and detainment. The statute of limitations had expired.

Watson’s devastating experience is one out of the thousands of unjust immigration enforcement actions that occur every year—to both U.S. citizens and non-citizens alike. ICE and CBP must update their systems to better track citizenship investigations before more people are wrongly targeted for arrest or removal.l

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