This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.
The New York City government has approved a 5.3% daily pay raise for app-based taxi drivers in the city, meaning Lyft, Uber, and Via drivers will make $79.50 more per week, and $3,816 more per year. The new development follows action by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, which wrote a letter to the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission last month to demand a pay raise for app drivers due to inflation, as TLC rules require. “This raise helps keep the city’s promise to keep app drivers out of poverty wages and on the path to a dignified and secure living,” said Bhairavi Desai, executive director, NYTWA.
How We Covered It: NYC Yellow Taxi Medallion Crisis, Explained
In other local immigration news…
Two Years Later, ICE Asserts It Was ‘Reasonable’ to Maim an Unarmed Tourist
📍Documented Original
More than two years after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Henry Santana shot Erick Diaz-Cruz, an unarmed tourist, at his family’s home in Brooklyn, court documents show Santana’s defense wrote that “such force was reasonable, necessary and justified.” Diaz-Cruz’s family is still seeking justice, as Santana denied many of the allegations brought against him. The case remains on hold as authorities continue their investigation. “My son’s life, and all of our lives, are no longer the same,” Carmen Cruz, Diaz-Cruz’s mother, said in Spanish in a recent interview. Documented gives an exclusive update on the case after digging through court filings and a recount of the incident. Read more here.
How We Covered It: An ICE Shooting and a ‘Political War of Words’
Immigrants Set to Rally in Times Square for Immigration Reform, Path To Citizenship
The New Immigrant Community Empowerment is organizing a rally today in Times Square, with immigrants pledging not to work, go to school, or shop on Valentines Day. They are continuing their demands for immigration reform and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. The rally begins at 5 p.m., and will include speeches from Latinx and Indigenous community members as undocumented immigrants aim to show the impact of their work and contributions in the U.S.
