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New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) will become the state’s first woman governor starting Aug. 24 after Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation takes effect. But as Hochul takes office, threats she made to arrest and deport New York undocumented immigrants back in 2007 are resurfacing. When she was serving as Erie County clerk, Hochul threatened to arrest undocumented immigrants who applied for driver’s licenses. On Wednesday, she claimed that she has “evolved” since she fought against undocumented immigrants obtaining driver’s licenses. While Hochul pledged to “fight like hell” for New Yorkers with her new position, immigration advocates see her past and hope she can show everyone how she has changed. THE CITY
In other local immigration news…
ICE Quietly Extends Elizabeth Detention Center Contract With CoreCivic
📍 Documented Original
The ICE-ERO Newark Office confirmed Immigration and Customs Enforcement extended its contract with CoreCivic, which runs the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility, until Aug. 31, 2023. In an earnings call on Tuesday, CoreCivic President and Chief Executive Officer Damon T. Hininger said the company recently entered a two-year contract extension with ICE. According to financial documents from CoreCivic, the extension at the Elizabeth center, which houses 115 detained immigrants, occurred “shortly after” the company’s second quarter ended on June 30. Some advocates said the contract extension should push New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy to sign a bill to ban further contracts as soon as possible. Read more at Documented.
Organizations Urge NJ Gov. to Sign Bill Banning ICE Contracts
Immigration advocates have been urging New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) for six weeks to sign a bill that would terminate all current and future contracts with ICE. Three New York-based organizations — The Bronx Defenders, the Legal Aid Society and Brooklyn Defender Services — decided to speak up and urge Murphy to sign the bill on Tuesday. In a statement, they said “Our years of experience working on behalf of detained people in these facilities have made clear to us that ending ICE detention is a moral imperative.” The groups represented detainees at New Jersey’s detention centers at Hudson, Essex and Bergen counties through the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project. New Jersey Monitor
Labor Day West Indian Carnival Parade Canceled Again
During the pandemic last year, there was no Labor Day West Indian Carnival parade, which meant no Mas bands and no costumed dancers went marching down Eastern Parkway. And this year, the event was canceled for the second time in a row due to the pandemic. But with less than a month left until the event was scheduled, West Indian American Day Carnival Association board member Lionel Balmir said plans are being finalized for Labor Day weekend events. These plans won’t include the trademark parade, which usually draws in thousands of individuals to Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights. The Haitian Times
