Re: Trump Administration’s Termination of DACA

“The termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is an unconscionable step backwards that will destabilize communities and tear families apart. Repealing DACA would hurt hundreds of thousands of young immigrants, many of whom have spent the majority of their lives in the United States, and sends a dangerous message to DREAMers that their lives, contributions to the economy and vibrancy of our great nation are inconsequential to this White House.

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Funding covers health care services for foreign-born New Yorkers

Red Hook, NY – Today, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito joined Immigration Committee Chair Carlos Menchaca, Mixteca Organization and Street Soccer USA to announce the New York City Council’s $1.5 million investment for the Immigrant Health Initiative. Established in 2016, the Immigrant Health Initiative supports programs to decrease health disparities among foreign born and native New Yorkers by focusing on improving access to healthcare;

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Council will also vote to expand discharge planning and programming for incarcerated individuals, require transparency in educational services for inmates, and improve resources for youth in the juvenile justice system

City Hall – Today, the New York City Council will vote on legislation to establish a Nightlife Advisory Board and Office of Nightlife, which will provide guidance on issues and trends in the nightlife industry.

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Speaker Mark-Viverito and coalition of community activists and faith leaders urge de Blasio Administration to include J. Marion Sims statue in review of hate symbols city property

El Barrio, NY – New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, elected officials and community leaders today rallied outside Central Park to demand the New York City Parks Department remove a patently offensive statue that pays tribute to a physician who conducted sadistic and horrifying medical experiments on enslaved Black women.

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Additional Funding Enables SYEP to Reach 65,000 New York Youth Ages 14-24

QUEENS – Today, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, joined by Finance Chair Julissa Ferreras-Copeland and Council Members Elizabeth Crowley and Antonio Reynoso, alongside GRYC President Bob Monahan, visited the Greater Ridgewood Youth Council (GRYC) at I.S. 77 to celebrate a record $125 million in funding for the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) in FY 2018.

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Council will also vote to Regulate the Sale and Consumption of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products and to Rezone the Area of Greater East Midtown

City Hall – Today, the New York City Council will vote on legislation to significantly expand harassment protections for tenants. The Council will also vote on the Stand for Tenant Safety package, which targets construction-as-harassment, and includes reforms to the Department of Buildings related to construction standards and other practices.

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“The Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment (RAISE) Act is a misguided and dangerous bill that – far from improving our workforce and economy – will only contribute to its downfall. Under the proposed legislation, arbitrary caps on refugee admission means that tens of thousands of people could be turned away from the United States, while the number of green cards issued could be slashed by nearly half a million.

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$4 million in expense funding secured to outfit all firefighters with a second pair of boots

City Hall – Today, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito joined Fire and Criminal Justice Services Chair Elizabeth Crowley to celebrate $4 million in expense funding through the Fiscal Year 2018 budget to uniform all New York City firefighters with an extra pair of boots.

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“Banning Transgender Americans from military service is despicable, discriminatory and downright anti-American. The President’s blatant dismissal of those who would willingly put their lives on the line to protect our nation is disgraceful and goes against the very values Donald Trump claims to want to protect. This bigoted decision is the latest misstep from a White House that is determined to roll back progress and equality in the name of hate.

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