PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jade Vasquez, Director of Policy and Research at Women in Need Inc (WIN)
5:31:09
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Jade Vasquez from WIN testifies on protecting immigrant communities from harmful policies of the incoming Trump administration. She outlines WIN's role as a shelter provider and presents recommendations from their "Project Hope" report to counter the anti-immigrant policies proposed in "Project 2025".
- Calls for strengthening NYC's sanctuary laws through specific legislation (Intros 396, 395, and 214)
- Urges development of data security measures to protect sensitive information on homeless immigrants
- Recommends increasing funding for immigration legal services to at least $80 million
Jade Vasquez
5:31:09
Good afternoon.
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Thank you, Chair Aviles, for holding this hearing on protecting immigrant communities from the harmful policies of the incoming Trump administration and for the opportunity to testify.
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My name is Jade Vasquez, and I am the director of policy and research at WIN, the largest provider of shelter and supportive housing for, families with children in New York City and in the nation.
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We operate 16 shelters and nearly 500 supportive housing units across the 5 boroughs.
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Each night, nearly 7,000 people call Winn home, including 36100 children.
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A significant portion of Winn's households are led by immigrants, including mixed status families, recent arrivals legally seeking asylum, and undocumented families.
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Last week, WIN released Project Hope, a report outlining administrative and legislative actions that New York City and state lawmakers can take to protect low income, homeless, and immigrant New Yorkers from the draconian policies laid out in project 2025.
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Project 2025, published by the conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation, proposes extreme immigration policies, including mass deportations and cutting federal funding to sanctuary cities.
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If implemented, the policies of project 2025 could lead to the deportation and family separation for tens of thousands of New Yorkers, as well as the loss of crucial public benefits for immigrant communities.
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To resist project 2025's violent anti humanizing immigration policies that will disproportionately impact low income and homeless New Yorkers, we urge this council to take the following actions.
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1st, strengthen the city sanctuary laws to protect immigrant New Yorkers by passing council member Powers intro 396 and intro 395 to limit DOC and NYPD communication with ICE, and passing council member Hanif's intro 214 to create a private right of action for violations of the city's detainer laws.
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2nd, develop and enforce data security measures for shelter and social service providers to protect sensitive information on homeless immigrants.
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The city has collected a lot of information on our newest arrivals, which, given Trump's mass deportation plans, now poses a dangerous liability.
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The city must take immediate action to fully secure the data collected.
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3rd, increase funding for immigration legal services to at least $80,000,000 to meet the growing demand and support nonprofit legal service providers.
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As a shelter provider who launched our own legal service initiative, we know firsthand the positive impacts that immigration legal services has in helping our immigrant clients obtain status, employment, and permanent housing.
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As a sanctuary city, NYC lawmakers have the ability and a moral obligation to protect homeless immigrant New Yorkers from some of the most harmful proposals of Project 2025 and the incoming Trump administration.
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By implementing the proposals of Project Hope, the city council will also help our newest survivors regain their independence, thrive in permanent housing, and build a brighter future for their children.
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Thank you.