00:00Good afternoon New York City. At a moment where the federal government is trying to drive us apart, I am
00:09glad to be here together.
00:11I want to acknowledge our 1199 SEIU President, Yvonne Armstrong. I want to acknowledge union leadership and members.
00:20I want to acknowledge the community that is here with us.
00:22I know that we had Governor Hochul speak earlier, Attorney General James, our public advocate Jumaane Williams.
00:30We have council members Rita Joseph, Mercedes Narcisse, Assembly members Farah Sufran Forrest, Mikael Solages, Radniz Bishad Hermelin.
00:39We have members of 1199 who are not just here but also gathered across New York City.
00:44I think we have our District Attorney from Brooklyn, Eric Gonzalez, who is here with us, the Haitian Bridge Alliance,
00:50as well as Murad and our Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs, Faiza Ali, who is joining us here.
00:57You know, for centuries, our city has stood as a beacon of opportunity, bright enough to be seen the world
01:05over.
01:06People have immigrated here from thousands of miles away because they believe in what this city represents, what this country
01:15represents.
01:16Freedom. Prosperity. A place where anyone can live a life of dignity.
01:22I am one of those immigrants. More than three million people who call this city home are immigrants.
01:29And I know that so many others here today share that same story.
01:33Now, you may have come from IT.
01:36You may, like my wife's family, have come from Syria.
01:40For so many here, home was not something that was given, but something that you had to make for yourself.
01:47And I am so proud that each of you has chosen to make your home in New York City.
01:54No matter where you were born, no matter how far you had to travel to get here, I want to
02:00be clear.
02:01You are a New Yorker.
02:03Today, tomorrow, and every day, you are a New Yorker.
02:08As health care workers, as teachers, as organizers, you have not just made your home in New York City,
02:14you have dedicated your lives to New York City.
02:16You have bettered New York City.
02:18You have helped to build New York City.
02:22So hear me when I say this, the people of New York City are going to show up for you.
02:27As we face down a Supreme Court ruling that just opened the door to fear, instability,
02:32and the threat of deportation for so many, New York City will do everything in our power to fight back.
02:39This is a city where we look out for our neighbors,
02:41where we don't let those who are afraid of what makes this city great try to divide us,
02:46where we reject a politics of fear.
02:49Now, they may traffic in cruelty, yet we will lead with something even more powerful than that, solidarity.
02:57City Hall will stand with you and stand up for you.
03:01Now, our Moya Legal Hotline is ready to receive calls from New Yorkers with legal questions
03:07and to provide referrals for legal help.
03:09You can call the hotline at 800-354-0365,
03:14or if you see our Commissioner Faiza Ali, you can ask her in person.
03:18The Mayor's Office will issue additional information for New Yorkers on your rights and where to receive support.
03:25Now, for anyone feeling alone and afraid today, I want to be clear.
03:29New York City is your home.
03:31No matter what this decision brings in the weeks to come, you are not going to face this alone.
03:38And I'm also here, I was given this flag as I walked in.
03:45And I want to say that, especially when it comes to IT, we owe this nation a great debt.
03:52It is a nation that taught the world about freedom.
03:56And for descendants of that nation to now have to worry that their own freedom will be stripped away from
04:01them
04:02in a country that we are so proud to belong to precisely because of our commitment to freedom.
04:08It's unacceptable.
04:09It's unconscionable.
04:11And it's not who we are as New Yorkers, nor who we are as Americans.
04:15I was so proud as I was running to become the Mayor of this city.
04:19To meet so many Haitian immigrants across this city.
04:23To see just a glimpse into the lives that they have built, not just for themselves, but for their families,
04:27for their neighborhoods.
04:29I've learned broken Creole along the way.
04:33When I see someone I've been taught, I should say,
04:39But what all of these words tell us is that that language,
04:44This people, they are of this city.
04:47This city will protect anyone who feels that their life is threatened by this decision.
04:52And we will not be ashamed to do so.
04:54We will be proud to do so.
04:56Because it's what makes us New Yorkers.
04:58Thank you for having me.
04:59First of all, I want to acknowledge the leadership of Yvonne Armstrong of this incredible union.
05:05And it is her strength that inspires us every single day in the hardworking men and women of SCIU.
05:10I also know that you'll be hearing from our Attorney General, and Murad is here.
05:15Where's Murad?
05:16He's here.
05:17We stood together yesterday, the Brooklyn District Attorney, the Attorney General, myself and Murad,
05:23to talk about what we're doing to defend the rights of individuals who found New York as their home.
05:28But today, hundreds of thousands of individuals woke up with this dread, this fear in their hearts,
05:35because their rights were being abandoned by the Trump administration and the Supreme Court of the United States.
05:41Temporary protective status has long been a vehicle to protect people who are living in war-torn countries,
05:48torn with political strife, their starvation and violence.
05:52And our Statue of Liberty in our harbor has always been the place people come for support legally,
05:58came here legally with legal protective status.
06:02They walked in, came here, and had legal status until the Trump administration literally withdrew that from them.
06:09Now, many of them, many of them are doing some of the most difficult, challenging work
06:14that needs to happen in our country and our state.
06:16And I'm grateful to them.
06:18I'm grateful to them who show up every single day as health care workers that take care of our elderly,
06:23sometimes our children, people with disabilities, senior citizens.
06:26They're performing God's work here in New York State.
06:29And I'm grateful for them.
06:31I've met many over the years I've been governor, traveling to Little Haiti
06:35and making sure that they knew that I support them,
06:37especially after Donald Trump was so disgustingly demonizing them just a couple years ago
06:42about what happened, he alleged, happened in Ohio.
06:45They have been under siege for a long time, and they do not deserve this.
06:48So what has happened now, the Supreme Court withdrawing these rights,
06:53I'm telling you, he's going to cripple our health care system, cripple our health care system,
06:57because so many of them are hard-working union members.
07:00Who's going to show up tomorrow to take care of Grandma?
07:03Who's doing that?
07:05Who's stepping up?
07:06This is what's going to happen in our state and our country.
07:09And we have to stand up and challenge this, fight this, and say,
07:14not here, not now, not ever.
07:16And that is why I'm going to continue leaning into the laws that we've enacted.
07:20And I thank the legislature for teaming up with me and the Immigration Coalition,
07:23all the advocates and the elected officials,
07:26to do something to show New York State is standing up.
07:29We're banning masks for immigration individuals, enforcers, as well as anyone who wears a badge.
07:35We should know who you are.
07:37You should not be able to go into our communities, intimidate, threaten, and create fear.
07:41Number one, creating sensitive locations so you can go to school, go to a health care facility,
07:48go to a child care center, places of worship, and a polling place without fear of an ICE agent
07:54trying to stop your rights.
07:56Also creating a constitutional right for those who've had their rights trampled on by ICE and immigration agents.
08:02So we're not sitting on the sidelines.
08:04That's my message here today.
08:05This is New York.
08:06We fight back.
08:07We defend our people.
08:09And for those who think they can come here and just tell us that that's going to be the different
08:13way than it is,
08:14you've got to get through us first.
08:15You've got to get through all of us first.
08:17Because we're standing strong.
08:18And I'm standing here because we have values.
08:21We have a long, long history of standing up for people who are oppressed, who need our help.
08:26That is what defines us and separates us from every other place in the world, every other place in America.
08:31This is New York.
08:32And we have to have leaders who believe that America is stronger because of our immigrant community and not in
08:38spite of them.
08:39That is the state of New York.
08:40And I'm proud to stand here with all of you, all of our members of the coalition who have been
08:44out there fighting every single day.
08:46But what has happened now for the Haitian community is going to have severe, severe, severe consequences on our entire
08:53economy as well as our fragile health care system.
08:56And that is why I'm proud to stand here with the leadership of SEIU and all the elected officials who
09:00have joined us today.
09:01Enough is enough.
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