Community Groups Outraged by Lack of Support from County Executive’s Office
OSSINING, NY — June 11, 2017 — Thursday, an Ossining High School student was taken into custody by federal immigration authorities on Thursday. The 19-year-old, Diego Ismael Puma Macancela, was arrested just one day after ICE agents took his mother into custody.
“These are not common sense immigration policies,” said Jenkins. “Rather than displace families, we should be working with undocumented immigrants to create a path to legalization. Diego and his family are but one example of the destructive immigration policies pushed by the Trump Administration, of which Astorino is a strong supporter. Being arrested for living life in your home, where you go to school, where you know your neighbors, and where you’ve lived all your life. That’s a real fear among our immigrant neighbors.”
Jenkins is currently a sponsor, and major advocate for, of the Immigration Protection Act, which outlines ways in which Westchester can legally refuse to cooperate with ICE agents, an effort to bring Westchester to “Sanctuary County” status. The bill prohibits County resources from being used for any Federally-mandated law that goes against the best interests of the people of Westchester County. The Act protects information shared with County departments, as well as prohibits county-owned resources from being used by the federal government.
“I have not only stood with immigrant communities in Westchester, but I have also taken serious legislative steps to protect our neighbors at the local level,” said Jenkins. “I am actively standing with the Macancela family now. It is time to show the federal government that these heartless and discriminatory policies do not stand. This is about protecting our people. These are our neighbors. These are people that have lived and contributed to our community for years. I challenge Astorino to oppose his friend Trump’s policy, and make moves to protect our people.”
In an interview, County Executive Astorino implored the community not to “make political statements” at this time. Community groups throughout Westchester believe otherwise. On Monday, June 12, the Hudson Valley Community Coalition is organizing a protest outside the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office to stand in solidarity with the family.
“I urge you to call your legislators, and ask them to support the Immigration Protection Act,” said Jenkins. “They need to hear from you, about people in your community, and how we need to protect them now more than ever.”
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