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Dear John,
The sixfold increase [[link removed]] in ICE arrests in the past month is a decidedly dismal number. Trump’s “Big Ugly Bill,” passed earlier this month, increases funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by 500%—ramping up his cruel efforts to detain and deport asylum seekers, often with no legal basis.
Today (as I have been for the past eight weeks) Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and I volunteered to bear witness at federal immigration court [[link removed]] , which now feels like a murderous abduction trap. In a cruel charade, asylum seekers show up for their hearings, only to be abducted by ICE before they leave the building.
Even crueler are the recent news reports [[link removed]] of a makeshift jail where asylum seekers are held for days in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza. This is why Public Advocate Williams and I are ⁠demanding an investigation [[link removed]] into whether this de facto jail violates zoning laws.
Our letter urges [[link removed]] the Department of Buildings (DOB) and the Fire Department (FDNY) to immediately inspect the conditions of 26 Federal Plaza and use every tool available to ensure that New York City’s zoning, building, and fire codes are complied with. I will keep coming and bearing witness every week. But there is more the City and the State must do. We cannot allow the rule of law to be eroded case by case.
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With the summer sun set high above our incredible city, I also want to take a moment to recap some of the important work happening at the Office of the Comptroller this month. We’ve spent these last few blisteringly hot weeks [[link removed]] digging into the numbers and holding City agencies accountable.
All-Star Interns: First, a little inspiration. I’ve loved getting to know this year’s class of summer interns, who come from an array of diverse backgrounds from across the city. These future leaders are proof that the future of public service is in good hands.
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Bad Bus Contract: In the final days of his term, Mayor Adams wants to sign a five-year contract extension to the City’s flawed 45-year-old school bus contract. So Public Advocate Williams and I made it clear in a letter to the administration yesterday: this is simply unacceptable . The numbers show [[link removed]] that NYC’s poor school bus service is widespread, hurting homeless students and those with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) with extreme delays, overlong routes, and brutal heat.
No Cuts to Public Schools: I’ll always stand up for our students – especially as Donald Trump freezes federal education funding and attempts to destroy the Department of Education. That’s why I was proud to stand alongside [[link removed]] City Council Education Committee Chair Rita Joseph and others on Tuesday to send a clear message to Trump and MAGA extremists: keep your hands off our public education.
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July Economic Newsletter: Last week, we published an Economic Spotlight [[link removed]] analyzing the health of NYC’s economy since the Covid-19 pandemic. From the 1975 Fiscal Crisis to the Covid Pandemic, New York City's economy has always been resilient, with jobs coming back stronger each time. Still, the primary economic constraint on growth is a lack of affordable housing.
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Office-to-Residential Conversions: Speaking of housing, we also analyzed data on 44 completed, ongoing, and potential office-to-residential conversions totaling 15.2 million square feet. As we report in our latest Fiscal Note [[link removed]] , these conversations could cover one third of the occupancy lost since the pandemic and produce approximately 17,400 apartments. That’s a lot of housing!
These are uncertain times – there’s no doubt about that. But here’s what I do know: when New Yorkers show up for each other, there’s nothing we can’t achieve.
More soon,
Brad
P.S. How do you celebrate the re-opening of Delacorte Theater and usher in another summer of Shakespeare in the Park? With a new sonnet, of course [[link removed]] .
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Office of the New York City Comptroller
Our mailing address is:
Office of New York City Comptroller Brad Lander
1 Centre Street
New York, NY 10007
United States
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