Contributing Writers: Azad Ali, Tangerine Clarke,
Nelson King, Vinette K. Pryce, Bert Wilkinson
GENERAL INFORMATION (718) 260-2500
Caribbean L 10 ife, JULY 16-22, 2021
By Samuel Santaella
While our government
battles over immigration
reform, secure in their status
as documented individuals,
we know firsthand
what it is like to live in constant
fear of deportation.
Despite significant cultural
and economic contributions,
undocumented immigrants
in this country face
unprecedented difficulty
that demands action.
We are both “Dreamers”
– the moniker used to
describe immigrants who
came to this country with
their families at a young
age. It is beyond troubling,
even insulting, to see our
life experiences trivialized
and used as political pawns
by those who lack an understanding
of what it’s like to
live in the shadows. We are
examples of how the system
is flawed, offering only
band-aid solutions to complex
problems and attempting
to arbitrarily rewrite our
life experiences.
Nine years ago, Congress
reached an impasse
that resulted in an Executive
Order establishing the
Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals (DACA) program
to extend deportation
protections for certain
young immigrants so they
could earn an education,
work, and remain in the
U.S. safely, expanding their
hope for a brighter future.
Even though certain
temporary status programs,
including DACA, opened
opportunities for nearly
700,000 young undocumented
immigrants, they
were not meant to be a longterm
fix. The result left
millions behind due to arbitrary
eligibility standards.
These individuals are effectively
trapped, unable to
access a permanent immigration
status, and stuck in
a legal limbo that destabilizes
immigrant communities
across New York and
our nation.
We share an unbreakable
bond born out of our struggles
and determination to
follow our dreams. Monica
came to this country at 16,
just three months too late
to benefit from DACA’s protections.
While she remains
undocumented, she has not
been deterred in her fight
for the just and dignified
treatment of young people,
women, and immigrants.
Catalina is one of “the
lucky ones” who obtained
legal status through marriage,
but has never forgotten
the difficulties she faced
in accessing critical services
and a college degree.
Through hard work, a
network of support, and
some luck, we both succeeded
despite the system’s failures.
We have been able to
advocate for and implement
change, doubling down on
our efforts to ensure that
all undocumented immigrants
for generations to
come can obtain legal status,
instead of being trapped
in an endless cycle of false
hope. We’ve worked to pass
the Jose Peralta DREAM
Act, offering financial aid
to New York students like
us, fought to ensure undocumented
New Yorkers can
access driver’s licenses, and
so much more.
Considering the contributions
of undocumented
immigrants, we firmly
believe that it is past time
for Congress to put politics
aside and act. People in
power have been debating
our future while we watch,
wait, and worry. We have
suffered long enough. Decades
of inaction have resulted
in a patchwork of policies
that only worsen an already
bad situation. And a ready
solution is at our fingertips.
The American Dream
and Promise Act passed
the House with Republican
support. A similar bipartisan
bill in the Senate, the
Dream Act, would create a
pathway to citizenship for
young undocumented immigrants
– a policy supported
by 77% of Americans. The
passage of this legislation
would ensure thousands of
families won’t fear deportation
and will finally be
treated with the respect
they deserve. We urge Congress
to forward this legislation
to the President’s desk,
as it is not only the right
thing to do, but it will also
be a much-needed stimulus
to the U.S. economy.
Immigrants from all
types of economic and cultural
backgrounds – including
both of us – are deeply
woven into the fabric of
our state and country. We
call on U.S. Senate Majority
Leader Chuck Schumer
to use any means necessary
to ensure individuals and
families can finally access
the permanent legal status
they deserve.
Assemblymember Catalina
Cruz was elected in
2018 to represent NY’s 39th
Assembly District. A lawyer,
she is the first DREAMer
elected to the NYS Legislature.
Monica Sibri is a student
at the Graduate School
of Political Management
at The George Washington
University, a co-founder of
the CUNY Dreamers, and
the Development Advisor at
Poder Latinx.
By Samuel Santaella
As New York recovers, Governor
Cuomo and MTA leaders
must do more to restore transit
ridership lost to quarantine.
OMNY readers are now in place
across New York’s bus system.
The MTA should start up all-door
boarding on every bus to immediately
speed up service throughout
the city.
After committing to turning
on systemwide all-door boarding
this year, the MTA says it may
wait until MetroCards are retired
in 2023. Waiting will not help
riders nor the MTA at all. There’s
no reason to delay.
OMNY is MTA’s new fare payment
system intended to replace
MetroCard, increasing efficiency
and ease for riders. Implementation
is planned in several phases.
In the end, riders will tap-and-go
with a bank card, smartphone,
or dedicated OMNY card coming
soon.
When they’re turned on,
OMNY readers will let riders pay
at both the front and back bus
doors. It’s Select Bus Service,
except it works on all buses citywide,
and getting a ticket before
boarding isn’t required. Fares
would be enforced similarly, by
having inspectors check whatever
media riders pay with. Tapand
go is much faster than dipping
a MetroCard and waiting
two seconds — one-by-one-byone…
The current boarding method
slows buses down. On busy
routes, buses spend 20 percent of
the time at stops without moving!
All-door boarding can cut this
time nearly in half, make service
more reliable, and prevent large
gaps between buses, which helps
fulfill another of MTA’s goals to
improve bus service.
As a long-time bus rider, alldoor
boarding would help me out
a lot. I live in southeast Queens,
which means I get on the bus at
the first stop in Jamaica along
with hundreds of others. Every
bus line is the same; precious
minutes stuck in line (or sitting
in the bus not moving if you’re
first) until everyone gets on.
Occasionally I’ll ride one of
the long, bendy buses common
in the Bronx. These buses hold
more than 100 people, so major
stops are even more time-consuming
than with regular city
buses. I remember one ride on
the Bx9 where tons of people got
on and off at every stop. Every
two or three blocks was another
lengthy delay (in addition to the
red lights).
Another problem that comes
with one-door boarding is that
by getting on all the way at one
end of the bus, riders don’t disperse.
The front of the bus is
more densely packed (and harder
to sift through) than the back.
Frustrated drivers sometimes
nag their passengers to move to
the back, threaten to not move
the bus at all until they do, or
simply leave riders behind even if
there’s room in the back.
Select Bus Service shows how
much better all-door boarding
works. I ride the Q53 and Q44.
In both cases, the bus spends
almost no time at the station at
all. Riders get on and disperse
throughout the bus. It’s so much
easier, faster, and less stressful.
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Congress must honor contributions
of undocumented people, provide
them the path to citizenship
Welcome bus riders aboard
for faster trips by turning on
all-door boarding
/schnepsmedia.com