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District 39

Shahana Hanif

Kensington, Borough Park, Windsor Terrace, Park Slope, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, and the Columbia Waterfront

City Limits – New Yorkers will soon be able to review data on how frequently Mayor Eric Adams is clearing unhoused people from sight—and at what cost. 

The New York City Council on Wednesday passed legislation, sponsored by Brooklyn Councilmembers Sandy Nurse and Shahana Hanif, requiring the Adams administration to report regularly on the cost and characteristics of “removals”—when city agencies force a person out of a public spot, often clearing their possessions as well [Read More].

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The Brian Lehrer Show – Thousands of new students have joined the New York City school system since asylum seekers started arriving. New York City Council member Shahana Hanif (District 39, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Columbia Waterfront, Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington), also chair of the Committee on Immigration, breaks down how the city is meeting their needs and what more needs to be done [Listen].

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NY 1 – Immigration Committee Chairwoman Shahana Hanif said the Department of Homeless Services, Health and Hospitals, the mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and other agencies were asked to testify to the council about a policy limiting shelter stays for migrant families to 60 days.

Hanif said they declined, and that left the education department to answer for a policy that isn’t their doing [Read More].

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City + State – The policy – which involves the city notifying many migrant families that they have 60 days to leave the shelter system or reapply for a new placement – has caused concerns about the potential ramifications on an already vulnerable population of students. While New York City Mayor Eric Adams has insisted that no child’s education will be interrupted as no child will be forced to transfer schools, advocates said the new shelter limits will force families to make difficult decisions about whether to keep their child at their current school despite facing what could be a much longer commute from their new shelter placement.

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Politico -Immigration lawyers and elected officials have raised concerns with the forced moves, noting migrants could miss key correspondence related to their immigration cases.

“I don’t think they’ve thought this through, which is why there’s a ton of precarity here in the applications being denied if you’re moving around a lot,” City Council Member Shahana Hanif, chair of the body’s immigration committee, said [Read More].

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Documented – With so many asylum seekers looking for employment, workplace exploitation — already common in jobs like construction and cleaning where they generally work — is on the rise. Hanif said the city has seen an “uptick in workplace harassment,” including wage theft, lack of paid sick leave and workers being prevented from joining unions. 

A worker’s bill of rights would help educate newly arrived immigration about their rights and protections, Hanif said.

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City Limits – To date, New York City has welcomed well over 120,000 asylum seekers, with more than half still in our city’s care. These tens of thousands of asylum seekers have fled war in Niger, conscription in Russia, and gang violence in Guatemala. Despite coming from different continents, these disparate communities are searching for similar opportunities for safety and have endured unthinkable hardship to reach the five boroughs.

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