New Sanctuary Movement of New York City
Dear Sisters and Brothers:
I would like to thank you for offering me an opportunity to share my thoughts with you on an issue which I feel very strongly about: immigration policy and immigrant rights. Ever since I came to this city from the Dominican Republic when I was 3 years old, I have had first-hand experience with the terrible reality of what U.S. immigration policy has meant for millions of New Yorkers.
My position as a mayoral candidate is simple: No New York City resources should be used to facilitate deportations or to enforce any immigration policy that harms working families.
All New York City poor and working people benefit from the contributions of immigrant workers, and they should be treated with the dignity and respect that all working people deserve. In fact, all working people in the city, documented and undocumented, can benefit from the experiences of struggle that immigrant workers bring from their own countries.
One of the defining moments in my political development was participating in the May 1, 2006 national mobilization of immigrant workers against the draconian Sensenbrenner bill that was then before Congress. The experience of so many members of my community taking part in collective political action gave me my first experience of the kind of movement we need in this city—in the country—to challenge the exploitation that all working people experience in this profit-driven economic system.
My purpose in running for mayor is to help build that united movement of poor and working people. Building unity with immigrant communities is central to that task.
Several months ago, I was arrested by officers in the 46th precinct in the Bronx when I intervened, as the president of my tenants’ association, in the kind of routine harassment of an immigrant family in my building. For me it meant a few hours in the precinct holding cell and ultimately dropped charges. For them, it could have meant having their family torn apart. Fortunately, after I intervened, the cops let the family go.
In conclusion, I would like to offer my sincere thanks and respect to the New Sanctuary Movement of New York City, especially for highlighting the role that the city-administered Rikers Island facility plays in enforcing a criminal immigration policy. Please accept my offer to use my campaign in any way to advance your organization’s initiative.
In solidarity,
Frances Villar
