Senator Serrano Joins Hundreds of New Yorkers to Fight for Immigrant Rights

Senator José M. Serrano today joined the New York Immigration Coalition, colleagues and advocates for the 2011 Immigrants’ Rights Day of Action in Albany. Hundreds of New Yorkers traveled to Albany to send a message to the Governor and the Legislature that state policies must recognize the rights of immigrants and protect immigrant communities.

They also urged lawmakers to adopt the NYIC’s top ten state buget and policy priorities for 2011, so that the budget isn’t balanced on the backs of the most vulnerable.

"We must charge ahead with our mission to reform the politics of New York, and that means ensuring that our most vulnerable communities are protected," said Senator Serrano. "The policy recommendations outlined by the New York Immigration Coalition are vital to the needs of the immigrant community, but  also integral to the progress of our great state.”

He continued: “While I stand committed to crafting a budget that moves our state toward fiscal recovery, we should take care to ensure that programs that protect the most vulnerable are preserved— and that dangerous and divisive policies, like 'Secure Communities,' are not implemented. To improve our economy we must ensure that new immigrants are able to obtain the tools they need to continue making positive contributions to our neighborhoods and our country.”