00:04Good morning. Thank you to everyone who has joined us today here at City Hall.
00:11I want to recognize our City's Corporation Counsel, Steve Banks, and the countless others
00:16in the Law Department for their tireless work on behalf of immigrant New Yorkers. I want to
00:21commend State Attorney General Letitia James for her ongoing efforts to protect our immigrant
00:27communities with the full force of New York's legal power. And I want to thank the New Yorkers
00:33and immigrant families that are standing alongside me, all of whom proudly call our city home. We have
00:40among them New York Immigration Coalition President Murad Awade, we have Make the Road Health Program
00:46Director Arlene Cruz, we have leaders from within city government, whether our Deputy Mayor for Health
00:51and Human Services, Helen Arteaga, Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice, Julie Hsu, Chief Counsel,
00:56Ramzi Kassim, our Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, Faiza Ali, HRA Administrator,
01:03Scott French, Health Department Commissioner, Dr. Alistair Martin, Special Advisor for Strategic
01:07Coordination and Operations, Bita Mustafi. We also have leaders at both the city level, the borough level,
01:14and the district level, whether our Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, our Manhattan Borough President,
01:19Brad Hoylman Siegel, as well as so many friends and colleagues representing this city in the Council,
01:25in the Assembly, and in the State Senate. We are all gathered here today out of a belief that New
01:31York
01:31City is the greatest city in the world in no small part because of the immigrants who helped to build
01:37it.
01:38Immigrants laid the foundations of our bridges and erected towers that stretch into the sky.
01:43Immigrants wrote the poems that stir our hearts and sang the songs that make us dance. Immigrants fought for
01:49the eight-hour workday, for fair pay, and workplace protections that deliver dignity into the lives of so many.
01:55Immigrants from every country, from every continent, who speak every language and worship in every conceivable way,
02:02drive our buses and our trains, teach our children how to read, and tend to us when we are sick.
02:08Immigrants are New Yorkers.
02:09Immigrants, and yet we know that all too often they are not treated as such. The federal government has waged
02:15a campaign of violence and terror. Unaccompanied children have been forced to navigate our judicial
02:21system alone. Ice has broken into our neighbors' homes, work sites, and schools, and it has targeted
02:27those who have come to our country in search of refuge and in search of opportunity. These actions are an
02:34assault on our civic fabric, on our shared values. And no matter how much destruction they have already caused,
02:40it continues. Just last month, the federal government finalized a set of drastic and unlawful changes to our
02:48country's public charge rule. A rule that makes it possible for someone to be denied immigration status
02:54based on the likelihood of their need for public benefits. Set to go into effect this coming Friday,
03:00September 18th, the new public charge rule expands the list of public benefits that might count against
03:06green card or visa applicants. If you are a citizen, or an individual seeking humanitarian relief like asylum,
03:12these changes will not affect you. The new federal public charge rule not only sweeps aside more than a century
03:19of
03:20established law, it is intentionally vague as a means of creating uncertainty and fear, to isolate immigrant New Yorkers,
03:27to force them to make an impossible choice between meeting their own basic needs and continuing to live in the
03:35city that they love.
03:36Make no mistake, this is an undisguised effort to strip New Yorkers of the services they rely on,
03:42the public benefits they are entitled to. Families, including those with children who are U.S. citizens,
03:49have already begun to forego essential services like SNAP, Medicaid, and affordable housing,
03:55out of the fear that if they use these programs, immigration officers could use it as justification to deny them
04:01a future in our country.
04:03The toll of this new rule cannot be overstated. It is estimated that up to 4 million people from across
04:10the country
04:11could unenroll from their health care alone, including 1.8 million children. None of this is abstract.
04:18People could die. As a result of these changes, the rate of premature mortality in immigrant communities in New York
04:25City
04:25could increase by up to 10.6 percent within just the next five years. The data is clear.
04:33Denying people services does not erase their need. It compounds it, generating a greater cost to our system
04:39that will be placed on the backs of working people for years to come. Nothing about this rule will reduce
04:45waste or keep Americans safer
04:47or improve New Yorkers lives. It is simply a vehicle for confusion and a vehicle for cruelty.
04:54Here in New York City, however, cruelty is not how we seek to govern. Immigrants are New Yorkers.
05:00And like I said once before, to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of
05:05us.
05:06That is why today we are confronting this injustice with the solidarity and action that it demands.
05:12New York City is leading a coalition of cities and counties, including Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Santa Clara County and
05:19King County
05:19to sue the federal government for the gross illegality of their new public charge rule and the irreparable damage that
05:26it will cause.
05:26We are filing our lawsuit alongside a separate challenge led by Attorney General James.
05:32I am grateful for her partnership in this fight and for everything she has done to stand steadfast alongside New
05:40Yorkers.
05:41Now, before I close, I would like to take a moment to speak directly to those across our city who
05:47may be affected by the new public charge rule.
05:50Nothing about your or a family member's eligibility to access benefits and services has changed.
05:57If you rely on SNAP, Medicaid or programs like WIC and TANF, do not disenroll without first seeking advice from
06:06a trusted legal provider.
06:08And if you have concerns about how public charge may affect you or your families, City Hall is here to
06:15help.
06:15To connect with a trusted, safe and confidential legal services provider for free, you can call the Mayor's Office of
06:22Immigrant Affairs Legal Help Hotline at 1-800-354-0365.
06:28And to ensure that you have the information you need, we are partnering with organizations across the five boroughs to
06:35host community forums, trainings and clinics.
06:38And we are training city outreach teams on public charge so they can support you throughout this challenging time.
06:45Government exists to serve the people.
06:48In the wealthiest city, in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, we will not waver on the
06:53commitment we hold to those we serve.
06:56The commitment we hold to one another.
06:58We will stand with immigrant New Yorkers every step of the way.
07:02And in doing so, we will once again demonstrate the power of a city united.
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