Immigration

To Balance the Budget, Mamdani Details Two Paths – Tax the Rich or Let the Middle Class Fund the Gap

By SÍLE MOLONEY
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Preliminary Budget on Tuesday, Feb. 17, outlining the scope of what was described as a fiscal crisis he said he inherited from the prior administration. The mayor presented two paths forward to balance the budget (a legal requirement): raise revenue from the wealthiest New Yorkers and most profitable corporations and end the drain of City resources to the State, or have working and middle-class New Yorkers fund the gap.   

NY Legal Assistance Group Urges U.S. Senate to Reject Increased ICE & Border Patrol Funding

By SÍLE MOLONEY
As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on a funding bill for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday, Jan. 27, the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) joined hundreds of civil rights groups in signing on to an open letter demanding that Congress members refuse to vote for any FY2026 appropriations bill that includes increased funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol.

Second ‘No Kings’ Rally Held in Northwest Bronx

By DAVID GREENE
For the second time in less than three months, a large crowd gathered in the Riverdale section of The Bronx to protest the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration after American military forces attacked Venezuela on Saturday, Jan. 3, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot and killed Minneapolis protester Renee Nicole Good on Wednesday, Jan. 7.

Elected Officials Appear in Court for Civil Disobedience Case in Defense of Immigrants

By SÍLE MOLONEY
State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) and City Comptroller Brad Lander, appeared in federal court on Nov. 18 in relation to their arrests on Sept. 18, along with several other elected officials, inside or near 26 Federal Plaza courthouse in Lower Manhattan for their respective acts of civil disobedience against immigration agents. As reported, the group had been protesting the treatment of immigrants during their court appearances by immigration agents. An anti-ICE [U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement] protest had also taken place near 26 Federal Plaza the same day [Sept. 18].

Dinowitz, Harckham Introduce Bill to Protect Residents from Civil Arrest at Polling Places

By SÍLE MOLONEY
New York State Senator Pete Harckham (S.D. 40) and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) introduced legislation on Dec. 3 which aims to protect residents from civil arrest while going to, remaining at, or returning from polling places in New York State. According to the both Harckham and Dinowitz, civil arrests supported by a judicial warrant or a court will still be allowable under this new bill, however.

What Does the Latest U.S. Military Build Up in Puerto Rico Mean?   

By GENE ROMAN
Puerto Rico has a long and proud tradition of U.S. military service. Increases in the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean have set the region on edge. According to an ABC article dated Nov. 24, entitled Top U.S. military Adviser Visits Caribbean as Trump Ramps Up Pressure on Venezuela, high level officials from the Pentagon visited troops on the Island during Thanksgiving to thank them for their service. Is this military build-up temporary, and does it presage a larger conflict with Venezuela?