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The New York City Council voted on Thursday to ban city officials and law enforcement from using the terms “alien” and “illegal immigrant” to refer to undocumented immigrants.
“These words are outdated and loaded words used to dehumanize the people they describe. It’s time to retire them,” Council Member Francisco Moya said. The words will be prohibited from use in local laws, rules and documents and replaced with noncitizen.
Last year, the Commission on Human Rights created a rule that prohibited the use of the terms “illegal alien” or “illegals” with “intent to demean, humiliate or harass a person.” NBC New York
In other New York immigration news …
Colombians Left Stranded in NY
Documented Original
Hundreds of Colombians have been stranded in the greater New York City area amid the coronavirus pandemic due to the country’s strict travel restrictions. Colombian President Ivan Duque blocked travel into and out of Colombia from the U.S. and dozens of other countries. As of May 19, the restrictions were in place until June 30. The measure has left Colombians who came to New York for a vacation scrambling to get on repatriation flights. Andrea Medina, a lawyer from Bogota, has been stuck in an Airbnb in Sunset Park. She was not allowed to board the flights as she had not yet booked her return flight, which the Colombian requirement requires. Medina’s husband had to file an extension on his travel visa to remain in the U.S., costing him $455. “It’s a flagrant violation of human rights,” said Medina. “I’m Colombian, I deserve to return to my country.” Read more at Documented
“Alien” and “Illegal Immigrant” Banned from Official Documents
The New York City Council voted on Thursday to ban city officials and law enforcement from using the terms “alien” and “illegal immigrant” to refer to undocumented immigrants. “These words are outdated and loaded words used to dehumanize the people they describe. It’s time to retire them,” Council Member Francisco Moya said. The words will be prohibited from use in local laws, rules and documents and replaced with noncitizen. Last year, the Commission on Human Rights created a rule that prohibited the use of the terms “illegal alien” or “illegals” with “intent to demean, humiliate or harass a person.” NBC New York
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Throughout the month of May, Documented has continued its coverage of how the coronavirus has impacted immigrants and the immigration system, while also publishing new resources in Spanish to help immigrants navigate the crisis. We’ve also broken stories on non-coronavirus related issues. Here’s a roundup of our last month’s work:
- Emails surfaced in a report, exclusively shared with Documented, that showed Long Island police departments have been working closely with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on MS-13 issues, despite previously denying it.
- We updated our Spanish resource guide for help navigating the coronavirus pandemic with new resources on domestic violence and unemployment insurance.
- The public charge rule has struck fear into many immigrants in New York City. During the pandemic, it has made some afraid to go to the hospital, even when they have COVID-19 symptoms.
- The pandemic has also created new complications for immigrants who are HIV positive, as many are afraid of seeking care due to their status.
- We revealed new details on how Thomson Reuters provides detailed analytics to ICE, angering some of its shareholders.
- We covered ICE’s attempt to deport a 14-year old child from a shelter in Westchester, only to be blocked by a judge at close to midnight. The move was part of a broader push to deport children nationwide.
We partnered with NPR’s Latino USA to produce a piece on one family’s journey through the immigration courts after they underwent a radical transformation by the Trump administration
