Sen. Gounardes & AM Reyes: All New Yorkers Deserve Rights and Protections

New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assembly Member Karines Reyes, R.N., issued the following statement today:

“Protecting the civil rights and liberties of all New Yorkers is key to ensuring public safety, and to building strong relationships between police and community that allow us to prevent violent crime. Recent suggestions that immigrants don’t deserve constitutionally-protected rights, or  that only immigrants with ‘legal papers’ should be protected from cruel and unfair targeting, is a betrayal of tens of thousands of immigrant New Yorkers, including young Dreamers who have spent nearly their entire lives here but, by definition, don’t have legal papers. 

“We can’t fall for the misleading rhetoric: study after study shows immigrants commit crime at lower rates than non-immigrants. We’re talking about our neighbors, our children’s classmates, our coworkers who pay taxes and are part of our communities. Our New York for All legislation ensures true safety by keeping families together and allowing immigrants to feel comfortable contacting local police—rather than be forced to stay in the shadows—when crimes occur. Our responsibility as elected leaders is to put public safety first, and not to throw immigrant New Yorkers under the bus.”

Press Contact:

Billy Richling

Communications Director

State Senator Andrew Gounardes

billy@senatorgounardes.nyc

Justin Westbrook-Lowery

Chief of Staff & Legislative Director

State Assembly Member Karines Reyes

westbrookloweryj@nyassembly.gov

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