Weprin, Liu protect immigrants in NYS
Lawmakers, Amnesty International introduce legislation protecting immigrant detainees
State Assemblyman David Weprin (c.) joins (from l. to r.) Sebastian Solomon and Samantha Reiser from the Legal Action Center, Anu Joshi of the New York Immigration
Coalition, Jagpreet Singh of the Chhaya CDC and family member Juan Colon in front of the Varick Street ICE facility. Courtesy of Weprin’s offi ce
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Two Queens lawmakers
and human rights
organization want to ensure
that immigration detainees
are protected while in New
York State.
Assemblyman David
Weprin and state Senator John
Liu recently partnered with
Amnesty International to pass
the Immigration and Customs
Enforcement Oversight Act.
The legislation will
ensure that conditions for
immigrants in New York
State county jails comply with
legal detention standards.
In addition, the law will
also limit the expansion of
detention facilities in the
state unless approved by
the legislature.
“As residents of the nation’s
gateway, New Yorkers know
the value of immigration
and understand that the vast
majority of those emigrating
to our country are doing so for
a better life and to contribute
to our great country.” said
Weprin. “We cannot continue
to blindly comply with the
Immigration and Customs
Enforcement Agency if it
continues to violate the human
rights of those seeking refuge
in the United States. This
bill will send a clear message
that New York will not be
complicit with the atrocities of
the Federal Government and I
look forward to its passage in
our State’s Legislature.”
Weprin, who serves
as the State Assembly
Correction Chair, and other
state legislatures made
visits to county jails in
which house immigration
detainees and observed their
substandard conditions. Such
conditions are well reported
at immigration detention
facilities nationwide.
If passed, the new law will
require municipalities to gain
approval by the legislature
when seeking to use funds
and resources to construct
new facilities or expand
existing ones.
The legislation will also
establish a committee on
immigration detention
oversight. The governor,
attorney general, comptroller,
secretary of state, president
pro tempore of the senate,
and the speaker of the
assembly-member committee
will appoint the six-member
committee that will be
responsible for maintaining
detainees’ safety while in
New York State.
“ICE continuously flouts
the law, with little or no
regard for basic human
rights,” said Liu. “The state
of New York can and must
legislate with all its power to
reduce efforts of this reckless
agency to use public funds for
construction or expansion of
facilities, existing municipal
buildings or other resources
for their purposes of
federal detention.”
Amnesty International was
formed in 1961 and is a Londonbased,
non-government
organization focusing on
human rights. According to
their website, their “global
movement” involves more
than 7 million people in
over 150 countries and
territories worldwide.
In a statement, the
organization said that
they oppose the Trump
Administration’s “relentless
attacks” on the “rights of
asylum seekers, migrants
and refugees” which they
recognize as “a crisis of
global magnitude.”
“This legislation is a vital
step toward helping to meet
our nation’s obligations under
international law, and we fully
support it,” said Sheetal Dhir,
Senior Crisis Campaigner
at Amnesty International
USA on behalf of Amnesty
International USA.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by email at jbagcal@
qns.com or by phone at (718)
224-5863 ext. 214.
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2 TIMESLEDGER, JUNE 14-20, 2019 QQNNSS..CCOOMM
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