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John,
Last week, the NYS Supreme Court Appellate Division ruled Local Law 11 unconstitutional.
Over 1.2 million New Yorkers who live, work, and pay taxes in their communities will, for now, remain disenfranchised in their local municipal elections, such as City Council and Mayoral races.
But the fight isn’t over for New Yorkers like Diana Rodriguez, a DACA receipt and NYIC colleague who has called Queens home for over two decades. While the opportunity to participate in the decisions that meaningfully impact her and her family has been halted, it won’t stop her from continuing to advocate for this bill.
“Astoria has been my home since I was two years old. For over 20 years, my family has developed meaningful relationships and connections in our neighborhood, knowing our community front and back. As a professor once said ‘some are born in NY while others are born to be NYers,’ and NYC is my home. I am deeply disappointed in the court's decision and hope we can continue the fight at a higher court, so immigrants like me can not only continue to contribute to this city, but also have a voice in how the city works.”
The NYS Supreme Court ruled in favor of xenophobic New York Republicans, who succeeded in their lawsuit of Local Law 11 by stifling the voices of people who not only live and raise families in the city, but also contribute economically to our city, state and country.
We are currently consulting with the Our City, Our Vote coalition and reviewing the court’s decision to determine our next steps in this particular case. More New Yorkers, not less, deserve to participate in our local elections. More on how we will proceed in response to this decision will be coming soon.
Are you ready to join us as we keep up the fight for immigrant rights?
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