OPINION: Donovan Richards stands ready to fight for our families
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Assemblymember Catalina Cruz (left) has endorsed Councilmember Donovan Richards for Queens borough president. Photo courtesy of Richards’ Office
By Catalina Cruz
Over one million immigrants call Queens home. It is an amazing borough filled with people from all over the world, where hundreds of languages are spoken, and thousands of cultures are celebrated.
Since the election of Donald Trump, our immigrant communities have been under attack. Local elected officials have been forced to come to the defense of these communities and fight back harder than ever against the horrifying policies being enacted at the federal level. It has been up to us, local officials, to ensure that immigrant New Yorkers have access to the resources that they need to thrive in our neighborhoods. Just this past month, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Trump’s change to the public charge policy meant to scare immigrants away from the resources they are entitled to.
Like me, Donovan Richards understands the struggles that our immigrant communities face every day. His father immigrated to New York from Jamaica in the 1970s and just last year became a United States citizen. Growing up, Donovan witnessed his father endure the difficulties faced by working class immigrants. His father and mother were teenagers when Donovan was born, and finding work wasn’t always easy. His father has worked as a printer and commercial cleaner and is a proud union member, who worked his entire life to create a better life for his family.
His family’s struggle showed Donovan the need to raise his voice in the face of injustice. So when he was elected to the City Council, Donovan used his position to stand up for immigrants.
When Ravi Ragbir, an immigrants' rights advocate, was targeted by the federal government for deportation, Donovan used his position as the chair of the Public Safety Committee to demand answers from the NYPD. He questioned the department on their cooperation with ICE during protests and raids in the city in response to Ravi’s arrest. After ICE attempted to conduct raids in his community of Far Rockaway, Donovan stood shoulder-to-shoulder with immigrants by rallying to send a message that ICE wasn’t welcome there. He followed the rally with increased “Know Your Rights” sessions and weekly events at his office to provide free legal services for those in need.
Donovan also fought to protect immigrant workers from targeted attacks by law enforcement.
When the New York City Police Department increased enforcement efforts against e-bike drivers, who are generally immigrant food delivery workers, Donovan spoke up and criticized the enforcement as targeting immigrants and an attempt to deprive them of their livelihood. He organized fellow city councilmembers to call on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign legislation legalizing e-bikes and wrote a letter to the NYPD about the statistics showing how few are involved in collisions.
Donovan understands that in Trump’s America, our fight transcends simple words. We must do more than stand next to a DREAMer at a press conference. We must commit to fight back as many times as needed.
That is why later today I will proudly stand with Donovan as he announces his intention to fund the creation of a New Immigrant Welcome Center, which would become a part of the Queens Borough President’s office, upon his election as Queens borough president.
Modeled after Family Justice Centers, where people can find all the resources they need under one roof, the Welcome Center would ensure that immigrants have access to legal resources like immigration attorneys, housing assistance, employment opportunities, access to city and state agencies and so much more. This innovative idea will become the model we hope to see replicated in other boroughs and across our state.
We need elected officials who will stand up for us and bring new ideas that will ensure that we can continue to call this city our home. We need someone who will have the courage to fight for our needs, especially during times such as these. That is why I was proud to support Donovan Richards from the moment he told he was running for Queens borough president.
At a time when President Trump enacts policies meant to instill fear in our communities, and the federal government slashes funding to key services that our immigrant communities so desperately need, Donovan stands ready to commit the funding and resources necessary to ensure that our borough serves as the model to welcome immigrants from all nations. Donovan stands ready to fight for our families.
Assemblymember Catalina Cruz was elected in 2018 to represent the 39th Assembly District, which includes Jackson Heights and Corona.
