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As part of the global effort to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to retreat from his war against Ukraine, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced yesterday that the state will stop doing business with Russian entities. More than 350 people have been killed, including 14 children, and over a thousand people have been injured since Russia began attacking Ukraine. Hochul said Putin’s war is an attack on New York, as the largest Ukrainian population in the U.S. resides in the state. She signed an executive order ceasing state purchases and investments from companies headquartered in Russia or backed by the Russian state. It will last as long as President Biden continues sanctions on Russia. “I’m not going to squander the fact that the state of New York has a larger economy than Russia,” Hochul said. amNY
In other local immigration news…
People Gather in Manhattan’s Little Ukraine to Denounce Russian Invasion
At a morning mass at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church in Manhattan’s East Village — the area home to one of the largest Ukrainian neighborhoods in the U.S. — tearful congregants knelt at pews and said blessings for families trapped in Kyiv. An attendee at St. George’s, Oleksandra Pradyvusim, said she came to pray for her 95-year-old aunt who lives in the Ukraine city of Lviv, and cannot leave Ukraine because she is too old to go. Fima Chupakhin, a Ukrainian pianist who emigrated to Brooklyn to pursue his career seven years ago, said his civilian friends back home have posted on social media about their decisions to enlist in the fight against Russian soldiers invading his home country. As of 2019, an estimated 60,000 Ukrainian immigrants lived in New York City. The Wall Street Journal
NY’s Nigerian Consulate to Start Issuing Passports With Longer Validity
Ambassador Lot Egopija, the Consulate-General of Nigeria in New York, announced the consulate will begin issuing passports valid for 10 years to its nationals within the New York jurisdiction. That’s an improvement from the 5-year duration previously issued. Nigerian immigrants account for the largest source of African migration to the U.S., and New York City has the largest Nigerian immigrant population. The consulate had struggled with delays that have left many nationals stranded or unable to renew their passports on time. Egopija said passport renewal has improved this year, adding the office is “almost up to date” with the 12-week period given to those renewing. The Guardian NG
ICYMI: ICE Ditching Asylum Seekers at Rural Gas Station
Thousands of migrants have been sent to Immigration and Customs Enforcement jails located far from their final destinations in the United States. When they’re released at ICE’s discretion, migrants are often left without enough resources to make it on their own, and can’t always communicate with local groups that can provide aid. The situation can become perilous, particularly in the dead of winter. Documented’s Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio took an exclusive deep dive into the case of 29-year-old Cristian Enmanuel Sánchez Martínez, an immigrant from Nicaragua, and others who were left at a gas station in Batavia, New York, on a chilly 34-degree morning. Some immigrants hadn’t eaten since the day before, and most didn’t have functioning phones, had only limited amounts of cash, and had little to no comprehension of English. Read more on Documented
