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‘HOW SPINELESS
CAN YOU BE?’
Immigration rights advocates rally
outside Schumer’s Park Slope home
SUPPROTIVE: Demonstrators said they were hoping to show that
Americans supported asylum seekers entry into the country.
Photo by Aidan Graham
BY AIDAN GRAHAM
Hundreds of demonstrators
rallied outside of U.S.
Sen. Chuck Schumer’s Park
Slope home on July 2 to call
for an end to “inhumane”
conditions along the country’s
southern border.
Protesters blasted the
Senate Minority Leader for
what they described as his
failure to resist President
Donald Trump’s policies of
detaining migrants in overcrowded
detention centers.
“This is a humanitarian
crisis. This is a disgrace,”
said Romy Ruman. “These
are concentration camps.
We can’t allow Trump to
win. We have to get our
elected leaders to shut this
down.”
Demonstrators took specific
issue with the senator’s
support for a recently
passed $4.6 billion humanitarian
aid package — which
the Senate approved by a
84-to-eight margin on June
26 — claiming Democratic
lawmakers failed to guarantee
the funds will be used to
improve conditions within
the border camps.
“It’s a joke. How spineless
can you be?” said
Marisa Joel-Klein. “These
old-school Democrats need
to learn a lesson. There’s no
more normal. It is not a time
for compromise and singing
Kumbaya. They’re throwing
children in cages, and
if these old-school Democrats
won’t act, we’re going
to vote them out.”
The activists carried
signs and chanted across
the street from Schumer’s
Prospect Park West residence
until 7 p.m., when
assembled police officers
broke up the demonstration
because they lacked proper
noise permits.
Still, the protesters
hoped they got their message
across to the Senator.
“I don’t know if he’s listening,
but he should,
because we’re not going
anywhere,” said Megan
Casey.
Schumer praised
his own detractors for
drawing attention to
the situation at the
border, according to
a spokesman, who defended
the lawmaker’s record
on immigrant rights,
which includes a bill he introduced
in 2013 that would
have provided a path to citizenship
for millions of undocumented
immigrants.
That effort passed the Senate
by a strong 68-to-32 margin,
but was killed by Republican
leadership in the
House of Representatives.
“Sen. Schumer is deeply
concerned with the unacceptable
conditions at the
border caused by Trump’s
callous policies and commends
New Yorkers who are
raising awareness about it,”
said Angelo Roefaro.
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