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On Thursday, the House passed the American Dream and Promise Act, President Joe Biden’s immigration overhaul promising to create a pathway to citizenship for more than 2 million Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients. Immigrants up to the age of 18 could receive legal status for up to 10 years if they were brought to the U.S. before 2021. To gain a permanent legal status, those DACA recipients must obtain a degree in higher education, be employed for three years or serve in the military. Immigration advocates at Make the Road New York say they are excited for many individuals to become permanent citizens soon. News12 Brooklyn
In other local immigration news…
回美证：计划长期出境旅行的美国合法永久居民的必要证件
City Council Candidates Represent Hope for New York’s Fujianese Community
📍 Documented Original
Yu Lin from district 38 in Sunset Park, Yi Chen from district 25 and Hailing Chen from district 20 in Flushing are the first immigrants from Fujian — a coastal province in southeastern China — to run for public office in the history of New York. These three young political newcomers are being seen as a vindication of the dangers and discomfort older generations underwent when they travelled to the U.S. Their candidacy could prove turning points after decades of low pay in Chinese restaurants and other low status jobs in the city. “We have been waiting for this day our whole lives,” said Siqi Zheng, head of the Fukien American Association. Read more at Documented.
Pandemic Transit Ridership High in Immigrant and Low Income Neighborhoods
A year after the pandemic hit, new data from the state’s comptroller shows how commuter ridership during the pandemic has not been consistent throughout the five boroughs. The data, which compares ridership numbers from February 2019 to the last 11 months, reveals more New Yorkers are using public transit in neighborhoods with large immigrant populations, lower household incomes and higher unemployment rates, such as the Bronx and Queens. Neighborhoods with larger median incomes meanwhile had the lowest ridership. Advocates said this prove New York must maintain transit service as the pandemic continues, as those without other travel alternatives rely on it. NBC New York
Asian Communities Close Businesses After Attacks
Jason Wang was already dealing with closing several locations of his family’s popular Chinese restaurant chain, Xi’an Famous Foods, and laying off staff amid pandemic shutdowns when his employees got attacked. One man was attacked on his way to work, leaving him with a swollen face. Another woman was on her way home and got a cut lip and bruised nose. Noel Quintana, an immigrant from the Philippines, was sliced in the face with a box cutter on Feb. 3. Even though he is unsure if the attacker was motivated by racism, he was aware that he was the only Asian person in the train car. BuzzFeed News
