IMMIGRATION
Five hundred new immigrants celebrate citizenhsip
through the program "Become a USA Citizen" that Manzano implemented.
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More than perhaps any other place in the world, New York has been defined and
shaped by immigration. That shaping continues today as many thousands reach
our shores in search of opportunity. In the past, the faces were mostly European.
Today they are Indian, African, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Central and South
American and Caribbean.
We are proud of our immigrant heritage because it has made us the most diverse,
fascinating city on the planet in which to live and work. This great melding
has expanded our cultural horizons and our hearts, so that New Yorkers are
truly citizens of the world.
No matter where the immigrants of tomorrow will be coming from, we can be
sure that they will face challenges. As a welcoming city, we should embrace
their concerns and examine how we can ease the transition for them so that
they do not face the same struggles or prejudices that we or our ancestors
faced.
As Borough President, I will create a new immigration unit in my office
to work in tandem with the city, state, and federal immigration agencies.
I will recruit lawyers to do pro bono work for the less fortunate and will
help disseminate information about services and news in various languages.
In addition, I will work in the following areas:
Language Education
We need to continue to support and expand our English as a Second Language
program in the New York City public schools. The program helps thousands
of non-English-speaking students transition to mainstream classroom education.
I was one of those students. While some students may need more tutoring
and support than others, we must make sure that students are not slipping
through the cracks and not learning the English language.
Citizenship Programs
In 1990, I implemented a “Become A USA Citizen” program at the
McManus Democratic Association. Fifteen years later, the program has helped
over 9,000 individuals become naturalized citizens. Many of them have become
active in the community and have helped strengthen the Democratic process
in our neighborhood and city. As Borough President, I will support these
types of programs and initiatives to help people achieve full citizenship.
Community Support
In the 1980s, many community-based organizations provided instruction in
English for non-English speaking people. These classes were an invaluable
service to immigrants in those communities in which they lived. Nowadays,
many immigrants cannot attend classes because these services were drastically
reduced and the alternatives are too costly. As Borough President, I will
support and encourage organizations to expand ESL and other advanced English
classes.
Price Gouging
An unfortunate fact of life for many immigrants is that language barriers
keep them outside of the mainstream. This leaves them vulnerable to egregious
price gouging. Newcomers to the city, lacking the knowledge of what things
should cost, are preyed upon by unscrupulous merchants and businesses.
In addition to supporting consumer education for immigrants, I will work
to make price gouging – especially in the areas of prescription drugs
and health insurance – a criminal offense punishable by law.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
TPS is a temporary status granted by the United States to people from other
countries due to natural disasters and armed conflicts. I advocated and
lobbied the city, state and federal government for TPS status for Colombian
nationals who have been forced to leave their country due to armed attacks,
kidnappings and death threats. While we were unsuccessful in our efforts
due to opposition from the current administration in Washington, we were
able to receive support from every major elected official in New York and
New Jersey, to get media coverage and to gather thousands of petitions.
An article about this issue appeared in
The
New York Times in July 2002 as well as in other major publications. As Borough President, I will continue
to pursue this course of action -- not only for Colombian nationals, but
for people from other countries who find themselves in need of this temporary
assistance.
