New York is the nation’s “welcome mat” when it comes to immigration, and that’s a good thing, Gov. Cuomo said Monday as he visited the 13th annual Daily News/CUNY Citizenship NOW! call-in.
Cuomo urged New Yorkers to get involved in the national debate on immigrant rights, warning that those who oppose the idea of open-door policies already have a loud and powerful voice in Washington.
“This nation is trying to figure out a number of things. . . . One of the issues we’re working through is how we feel about immigration,” Cuomo noted.
“There are people in this country . . . who say we don’t want any immigrants . . . that’s a voice that’s very loud and powerful in Washington, and in many ways has stopped the progress that the President has wanted to make,” said the governor.
Cuomo, the grandson of Italian immigrants, said the voice of New York is equally powerful and definitely pro-immigrant — and he is proud of it.
“New York is the welcome mat to the nation. That’s what the Statue of Liberty is all about, that’s what New York Harbor is all about. That’s what our premise is all about. We open our arms, and we say to people all across the globe: Welcome. We want you to come here,” he said.
The governor said the Daily News/CUNY call-in efforts are “the distillation of the best of New York.”
“We don’t just welcome immigrants, we affirmatively welcome them. . . . We believe that if you do well and if you succeed, it’s not just good for your family, it is good for all of us,” he added.
Cuomo is fresh from a headline-making trip to the Communist country of Cuba, where he met with First Vice President Miguel D az-Canel to discuss the United States trade embargo and Cuba’s record on human rights.
He also said he’s been “ferociously” advocating to pass the DREAM Act that would allow undocumented immigrant college students to apply for tuition assistance from the state.
“It’s a controversial issue to say the least in Albany. . . . I haven’t seen any softening in the Senate’s position. If anything, the exact opposite because they ran against the DREAM Act in the election last year. So I haven’t detected any change in their opinion,” he said.
As of 7 p.m. Monday, 1,334 callers had gotten assistance in the 2015 call-in — which attracted a list of notable political names besides the governor.
“Citizenship NOW! is one of the most joyous events in the Daily News calendar, helping families navigate their way through the complicated, sometimes impossible journey to become a citizen. It’s beyond satisfying,” said Colin Myler, president and editor-in-chief of The News, who attended with News CEO William D. Holiber.
Since the Citizenship NOW! service began 13 years ago, volunteers have helped more than 136,000 callers from New York City and around the country.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) visited the call-in headquarters at Guttman Community College on Monday morning to thank volunteers personally and pose for more than a few “selfies” with them.
“It’s such a huge service to the community,” the senator told Baruch College Prof. and Daily News columnist Allan Wernick, who runs the call-in each year.
“Immigration reform is something that we definitely want to see at the national level, but in the meantime there are things that we can do at the municipal level to really continue to affirm the presence and the contributions of immigrant New Yorkers,” said City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who also gave her support to the call-in efforts.
U.S. Reps. Grace Meng and Joseph Crowley (both D-Queens) also stopped by the event, as did Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. and City Councilman Mathieu Eugene (D-Btooklyn).
During this week’s Citizenship NOW! hotline, phones and special lines for the hearing-impaired will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Friday.
