Week in Review

Rep. Ritchie Torres, NY-15

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I hope you and your loved ones are well. Here’s a recap of what my team and I have been up to this past month.

I visited Delaney Hall in Newark with Congressman George Latimer, the largest immigration detention facility on the East Coast, privately run by GEO Group and currently holding hundreds of people, the vast majority of whom have no criminal history and no record of criminal activity. They shouldn't be here, and we're wasting a billion dollars on a facility that shouldn't exist. When I saw the faces of the detainees, they were visibly traumatized and shocked, and I'm concerned about the lack of medical care, with only one doctor for 893 detainees, which is woefully insufficient. This is part of a larger private-prison mass-deportation complex that is a stain on the soul of America and a disgrace. This facility has no business operating.

Following our visit, we introduced the Families Deserve to Know Act, legislation that would require ICE to notify a detainee's family when their loved one dies, is hospitalized, or suffers a medical emergency in custody. Edwin Lopez-Cornejo died in ICE custody there, and his mother learned of his death only when a hospital called her to identify his body. No federal law currently requires ICE to notify families in these situations, and the agency's internal notification policy carries no legal force. This bill would create a legal obligation, requiring documented notification, penalizing contractors that fail to notify a family, and giving families a private right of action to sue in federal court. It gives ICE no new funding or authority. It requires the agency to do one thing: tell a family when their loved one is dying, hospitalized, or dead.

I joined Governor Hochul at Lincoln Hospital to announce nearly $10 million in State funding to build a cardiac catheterization lab, closing the funding gap I identified and pushed the State to fill. Lincoln runs the busiest single-site emergency room in New York City, yet it has no cath lab, so patients suffering a heart attack must be stabilized and transferred, a delay that raises the risk of death or permanent heart damage. I first raised this with Governor Hochul in October 2025, and after the Bronx Borough President and State Senate Delegation committed funding earlier this year, I went back to the State to close the remaining $9 million gap. This investment exceeds that gap, bringing the total project to $14 million and giving South Bronx residents the same standard of cardiac care as everyone else in New York.

I led a letter with Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and our New York colleagues pressing HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to reinstate Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program grants terminated across New York State. The cuts eliminated all three of the state's Tier 1 direct service grantees, more than $4.3 million in annual federal support serving roughly 19,000 young people in New York City, Buffalo, and other communities. Teen pregnancy rates in New York City have risen since 2021, with more than 5,300 teens becoming pregnant in 2023, and rates in the highest-poverty neighborhoods are 3.6 times higher than in the lowest-poverty neighborhoods. Losing this funding will disrupt evidence-based programming reaching vulnerable young people, including those in the child welfare system. We're calling on HHS to immediately reinstate the grants or, at minimum, provide bridge funding so grantees can continue serving young people while preserving eligibility for future support.

I secured $500,000 in federal funding through Community Project Funding for the Police Athletic League's Webster-Giannone Center, supporting year-round youth programming in the Bronx. The center serves young people ages 5 through 19, offering homework assistance, academic enrichment, arts and performing arts programming, and recreation for children in grades 1 through 8, along with tutoring, youth development programming, self-enrichment workshops, college tours, and academic support for teens. Kids in the Bronx deserve the same access to safe spaces, mentorship, and opportunity as kids anywhere else, and this investment gives young people a place to learn, grow, and build a future outside the reach of violence.

I met with George Espinal, founder of Verde Vida, to talk about how his organization fights food insecurity in the Bronx. Too many families here face hard choices between rent and groceries, and I will keep fighting for programs that put food on the table.

I stopped by Family Days across the Bronx this summer and had a great time meeting constituents and their families. Conversations like these, hearing directly from the people I represent about their lives and what matters to them, are exactly why I love this job.

I attended Stop The Violence events across our district, where community members and local organizations came together to talk about keeping our neighborhoods safe. Gun violence has taken too many lives in our communities, and ending it requires all of us working together.

I joined neighbors, police officers, and community organizations at National Night Out events across our district. Public safety works best when residents and law enforcement build relationships before a crisis, not during one.

I enjoyed my time at Good Neighbors Fest, a day full of great music, food, and local organizations connecting residents with housing, healthcare, and benefits resources. It's the kind of day that reminds me why I love representing this district.

I joined the Radcliff Magenta Block Association for their annual summer block party, where neighbors came together to celebrate community on their own street. Events like this reflect the kind of local connection that makes the Bronx strong.

I celebrated Jamaica's 64th anniversary of independence at a Thanksgiving Church Service with members of our Jamaican community. Jamaican immigrants have shaped the culture, economy and spirit of this borough, and their contributions deserve recognition.

FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Applications for the fourth cohort of the We Are The Bronx Fellowship Against Hate open Monday, August 17. Organized by the Riverdale Y in partnership with JCRC-NY, the Mayor's Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, and the offices of Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz and Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, the fellowship brings together leaders from Bronx-based nonprofits, faith communities, and government agencies for workshops, neighborhood site visits, and a trip to Washington, DC, along with seed funding to launch a community initiative addressing bias and building unity. Applications can be submitted before the November 21 deadline at We Are The Bronx Fellowship Against Hate - Riverdale Y.

Thank you for reading and staying informed. If you are in need of any assistance, or have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office.

Sincerely,