Readout: City Officials, Latin American Consuls General Urge Congress to Pass Legislation Protecting Dreamers and TPS Holders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 24, 2018
CONTACT: mediabox@moia.nyc.gov, 646-343-7164

Commissioners of Immigrant Affairs and International Affairs met with CLACNY leaders to discuss the importance of Congressional action on DREAM Act and TPS for thousands of Latin American New Yorkers

NEW YORK––Today, Acting Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Bitta Mostofi and International Affairs Commissioner Penny Abeywardena met with the Coalition of Latin American Consulates of New York (CLACNY), led by Consuls General of 17 Latin American nations, at City Hall. The Commissioners shared the latest updates on federal immigration policies and also emphasized the City's continued support of Latin American immigrant communities.

Acting Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Bitta Mostofi thanked the leaders of CLACNY for their strong partnership with the Mayor's Office and engagement with New York City's immigrant communities. Acting Commissioner Mostofi then gave CLACNY leaders an in-depth presentation on the City's fight for a permanent solution for Dreamers and TPS recipients, both on the local level and alongside mayors across the country through the Cities for Action coalition. She also emphasized that City services are available to all New Yorkers regardless of immigration status. Connecting immigrant New Yorkers with trusted legal service providers in this moment is critical, particularly for DACA recipients eligible for renewal as well as for TPS recipients who must file for re-registration to stay in status. Acting Commissioner Mostofi closed by noting that the next deadline for Congressional action for Dreamers is February 8 and that it is past time for Congress to act. Congress must pass a permanent solution protecting Dreamers, including the nearly 800,000 DACA recipients nationwide and the 30,000 DACA recipients in New York City.

Current CLACNY President, Consul General Carlos Castillo of the Dominican Republic, thanked the Mayor and City leaders for organizing the CLACNY briefing and the City's support of Latin American immigrants. Consul Castillo stressed that CLACNY was united behind the importance of protecting Dreamers and TPS recipients. He also pledged that CLACNY would continue their dialogue with the City as well as their advocacy with Congress on these important issues.

The Mayor's Office and CLACNY are committed to continuing to work together on federal advocacy on behalf of Dreamers and on TPS, as well as to ensure that New Yorkers know their rights, such as regarding federal immigration enforcement. Both agreed that continued advocacy ahead of the February 8 Congressional deadline was essential, and that Honduras TPS should be renewed. Both also agreed that increased and overbroad federal immigration enforcement, applied to individuals as well as to businesses, was deeply concerning. The City held nearly 1,000 forums to provide information and resources to New Yorkers on their rights and City resources, and the need to continue that work in light of federal enforcement patterns is clear.

Tens of thousands of immigrant New Yorkers are threatened by the Trump Administration's actions to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for several countries, including El Salvador and Nicaragua. Despite a short extension, Honduran New Yorkers are also at risk of losing TPS under the Trump Administration.