New York City's Politics and the Role of the NYIC Action

BY LINDA NWOKE

New York City remains a melting pot and destination for immigrants worldwide seeking better opportunities and new life in America. Sadly, the immigrant's experience in New York can be challenging, with various obstacles deterring them from building a new life for themselves and their families.

Fortunately, some nonprofit organizations are dedicated to advocating for immigrants' rights and providing them with the support and resources required to succeed, including contributing to policies that affect their existence in the Empire State, particularly in the City.

Some organizations empower immigrants by providing legal services, social support, or community resources to help them thrive in their new homes. One of them is the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), a multi-sector and racial organization that, for over thirtyfive years, has been fighting for the needs of diverse immigrants and refugee rights groups across many immigrant communities in the United States.

In a recent interview with Asher Ross, Senior Strategist at the NYIC, he shared some of their organization's activities on numerous issues, including immigrants voting rights, budgets, and forthcoming council elections in the City.

NYIC and Voting Rights in New York City

The New York Immigration Coalition has been at the forefront in pushing the 'Our City, Our Vote' mandate. A proposal that has become law will enable over 900,000 legal non-citizens with permanent residence to vote during municipal elections in New York City.

"So, this was a massive, inspiring, and monumental victory that was won through years of work," he said. "However, it was challenged in our state's Supreme Court, in Staten Island, ruled unconstitutional but has been appealed."

He explained that it is currently pending, but with the new appointment of a Chief Judge, Judge Rowan D. Wilson of the New York Court of Appeals, the fight to win will recommence to ensure the law is enforced.

The law will prevent the injustice of taxation without representation, where people who contribute to the economy, explicitly tax-paying immigrants who are also green card holders or non-citizens, can vote on issues that affect them during municipal elections. Arguments on a few areas of the law will be resolved in time.

"I believe there is a requirement of between 30 and 60 days of residency. And this has been one of the aspects debated a lot," says Ross. "Our position has been that it does not need to be years. We have people who come into the City who work and pay taxes. They deserve to be part of the political process," he ended.

The law's approval will reinstate a right that existed several decades ago in NYC before it was canceled. Hopefully, Mayor Adam's administration will continue to support the process.

"Mayor Adams has not had to support or oppose the bill because it was already a law. He has been helpful and has spoken in favor of the appeals court ruling that it is constitutional. So, the Mayor and their legal team have been coordinating and cooperating with trying to win this in the appeals court," explained Ross.

NYIC Action's Endorsement of Political Candidates

As part of their activities, the nonprofit's arm that focuses on 'Coalition' is called the NYIC Action. "That means that we are the political arm of a coalition of over 200 grassroots organizations across New York State that represent immigrant communities and communities of color. So NYIC Action does partisan political work on behalf of our coalition's priorities, including endorsing and supporting candidates for election," explained Ross.

The Process for Endorsing Candidates NYIC, through NYIC Action, supports candidates that promote and serve as advocates for the organization's mission of empowering immigrants. They follow a process of administering a questionnaire to interested political candidates and have them sign a policy pledge before they endorse them.

According to the senior strategist, "Each year, whether for state, federal or local office, we give the candidates a questionnaire and policy platform pledge to sign. The policy platform is described as a representation of the areas of interest that NYIC is interested in promoting, which the candidates that want an endorsement will have to sign into while campaigning and in the office.

"So, if a candidate signs our pledge, they fill out our questionnaire explaining their background, their connection to immigrant communities and immigrant organizations, and they explain their plan for immigrant justice in their district and the state. And that process happens between January and March each year," said Ross.

Furthermore, he explained that "This year, which is a local election year in New York City, we have the 2023 vision for New York City policy platform pledge, which is a vision and values statement for our organization." He added, "It ensures that the candidate will advance immigrant rights and power in the political process and focuses on five policy areas: criminal justice, education, health care, housing, democracy, and voting rights."

Process of Endorsement and Accountability

To ensure that the candidates remain accountable after the endorsement and election into office, they make the policy pledge platform available as a public record. "Signing our pledge puts people on the public record supporting particular principles, policy goals, and legislation. So now we have a public record. Thus, we can publicize that information if someone doesn't follow through and fulfill their pledge. And it will determine if we endorse them again or an opponent who could challenge them for office," he added.

Some of the specific pieces of legislation the policy pledge endorses include expanding language access, like funding for English language learning programs for cultural competency in schools and other areas, as detailed under the endorsements segment available on the organization's website – www.nyicaction.org

The senior strategist emphasized the importance of the general election later in the year, which people need to know because of its significance in various districts such as District 43 in South Brooklyn, District 9 in Upper Manhattan and Harlem, and District 26 in Long Island City.

He explained, "We see many incumbents running unopposed or without a viable opponent, which makes it more important than it typically is in New York City. Five council districts will have a viable Republican candidate running against the Democrat, including Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. These at least five districts could potentially go from Democrat to Republican."

Thus the 2023 New York City Council elections on November 7, with primaries taking place on June 27, 2023, remain crucial as NYIC continues to support the endorsement of candidates for the NYC Council. They intend to continue to build a legislative body that will keep fighting for pro-immigrant policies and contribute to a collective movement toward increasing the political power of immigrant communities across New York City.

Reaction to NYC Mayor Adam's Budget

In reaction to the proposed budget cuts of Mayor Eric Adams's administration for the fiscal year 2024, which will affect various programs and social services, the senior strategist expressed concern over the intention.

"At NYIC action, we're very concerned by this budget cuts to things like public schools, libraries, parks, and other critical services that working New Yorkers, including immigrant New Yorkers, rely on."

He revealed they want to see total funding for the programs and increased spending for job programs for immigrant youth and people of color. "And we also want to see an expansion of funding for English language learning programs in our schools and more funding for legal services for immigrants; we are worried about cuts to services everyone uses," said Ross.

In response, NYIC Action will be supporting immigrant justice candidates to lobby over the issue. Ross stated, "Our responsibility is to support immigrant justice candidates for office and people who will champion our issues. We've endorsed 28 candidates for City Council in this year's election, and all of those candidates have pledged to support us on those issues."

Reaction to Proposal on DACA and Health Insurance

In response to President Biden's recent announcement on his desire to include the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in accessing health insurance, he felt optimistic yet frustrated over the delay in taking a stand.

"That was very positive, but, on the other hand, we've continued to be frustrated by the lack of action to resolve the situation for DACA and a path to legal citizenship and overall," Ross reiterated.l

Listen to the interview with Senior Strategist Ross at YouTube.com/@InceptionFmRadio

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