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June 2, 2011

Action in Jackson: que pasa, New York

By  Thomas Dimopoulos / Post Star


The subtitle, of course, is a reference to the John Lennon song, set in the context of what took place in the town of Jackson, population 1,800, late Wednesday night.

What occurred inside the little white 19th century schoolhouse 15 months ago drew international attention.

That action was undone, rescinded, “repealed in its entirety” as the new law states, inside of that very same building on Wednesday night.

The sound of applause from across the state came swiftly. “We welcome the Town Board’s decision to rescind this discriminatory and unconstitutional ordinance,” said Melanie Trimble, director of the NYCLU’s Capital Region Chapter. “The English language is not under assault in Jackson or anyplace else. This decision helps ensure that all residents, regardless of what language they speak, have access to crucial public services.”

“On behalf of New York State’s immigrant communities, we are gratified by the repeal,” replied the New York Immigration Coalition.

Throughout the night, similar sentiments came in from across the country. They came from Andrew Friedman, co-Executive Director of Make the Road New York (MRNY) , and from Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum.

They came from the state Attorney General and from Clarissa Martinez-De-Castro, Director of Immigration National Campaigns; from the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), and from Chung-Wha Hong, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition.

Curiously, nothing – at least to this point – has been heard from any group or citizen opposed to the repealing of the law. Certainly there must be some opposition.

So what do you think about the initial adoption of the so-called “English-only” edict and its subsequent repeal?


For the original article, please click here.


More on: Language Access 

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Victory for Immigrant Families: Preventing Unjust Deportations in NYC

On March 18, 2013, Mayor Bloomberg signed new legislation to stop federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from using NYC’s criminal justice system to deport thousands of New Yorkers.

Building on legislation we helped to win just over a year ago, Local Laws 21 and 22 prohibit not only the Department of Correction but now also the NYPD from spending millions of city taxpayer dollars to hold individuals on behalf of ICE agents for detention and deportation. Each year, thousands of New York families will stay together who would otherwise have been torn apart by overly aggressive, indiscriminate immigration enforcement.

At a moment when the country is debating immigration reform, with these laws, New York City sends a clear message to Washington that tearing apart thousands of immigrant families is bad policy.

With your support, we look forward to winning national reform that keeps families together. We thank our partners at the Center for Popular Democracy, the Cardozo Immigration Justice Clinic and the bills’ sponsors, NYC Council Speaker Quinn and Council Member Mark-Viverito, for their courageous leadership.


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