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New York and New Jersey residents gathered Wednesday to celebrate President Biden’s quick actions to reform immigration on his first day in office and call for more change. Make the Road New Jersey held a press conference in front of the federal building in Newark to push Congress’ New Jersey delegation to call on the Biden administration to end what they call inhumane immigration enforcement and to examine the U.S. Department of Homeland Security practices. Meanwhile in New York City, the New York Immigration Coalition rallied in Battery Park to praise Biden’s end of former President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban. ABC7
In other local immigration news…
Hunts Point Workers Strike For Higher Wages
Workers at the Hunts Point Produce Market, which handles 60 percent of the city’s produce, in the Bronx have been on strike since Jan. 17 as they demand higher wages. About 1,400 warehouse workers and drivers, represented by the Teamsters Local 202 union, move around 300,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables everyday. Members negotiated for a $1 hourly increase and better health coverage. Owners agreed to a 32 cents per hour wage increase and 60 cents per hour toward health coverage. Elected officials such as Bronx and Queens Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D), NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and Assemblymember Amanda Septimo (D) are standing by these employees. Gothamist
New Jersey Immigrants Celebrate Biden’s Inauguration
Biden kept his promise to change the immigration system within hours of his inauguration on Wednesday, and urged Congress to pass his legislation to provide undocumented residents with a path to citizenship. Biden’s proposed bill will give some undocumented immigrants with temporary legal status and let them become eligible to apply for a green card after five years. “The fact that Biden introduced immigration plans on day one — that’s never happened before. We made that happen,” said Bruna Bouhid, an undocumented immigrant who lives in New Jersey. “But it’s just the beginning of the work we need to do to make this bill a reality,” NJ.com
Menendez Backs Up Biden’s Immigration Reforms
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) announced Wednesday he plans to lead the charge to pass the Biden administration’s immigration bill in the Senate. Menendez, the son of Cuban immigrants, said the U.S. is ready to “turn the page on this dark chapter of our history” after enduring the four years of “relentless attacks” from the Trump administration. The New Jersey Alliance for Immigration Justice said its members are “thrilled” that Menendez is dedicated to the legislation. Still, they said more needs to be completed than what’s in it, such as terminating Trump’s travel bans and the Migration Protection Protocols, restoring asylum at the border, and ending other regulatory changes. Patch
