Press Room

"I thank the federal monitor for recognizing the need that I and others have seen – for state and federal outside support to help address the crisis on Rikers that has taken two lives in the last few days. The Mayor finally agreeing to visit Rikers next week, as a result of sustained pressure rather than his sense of duty, does not excuse his long absence in presence or leadership. The monitor is right that the city’s role in allowing this emergency to grow and its failure to respond with the necessary speed and scope have made it clear that additional personnel and resources are needed on the island as we work to simultaneously decarcerate and safely return staff to work.

"Urgent aid from an outside entity is needed to restore and protect the health and safety of incarcerated people and staff alike. At the same time, care and caution is critical to ensure any outside presence alleviates, rather than adds to, the chaos and confusion inside. New personnel should be focused on medical, humanitarian, and administrative intervention. They must be incorporated with clear instructions and clear command structures to meet the clear need – not for carceral enforcement, but for disaster relief."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released the following statement as the crisis of the United States' expulsion of and tactics against Haitian migrants seeking asylum continues, and after the United States special envoy to Haiti resigned in protest of the administration's inhumane response.

"I had hoped that when we got rid of the former President, we would also be done with the inhumane, anti-immigrant and anti-Haitian sentiment and policies that pervaded his administration. Unfortunately, the world now watches as President Biden and Vice President Harris oversee the violent rejection of Haitians seeking asylum as the island is facing compounding crises of political and natural disasters. Armed with makeshift whips, the administration is exacerbating, rather than resolving, a humanitarian crisis.

"These are the situations that our relief, refugee and protected status policies were created for, and yet instead of diplomatic and humanitarian tools rooted in compassion, this administration is using enforcement tools rooted in xenophobia and a system propped up on anti-Blackness. Deportations are the wrong approach both morally and situationally. The United States has a moral imperative to stop Title 42 expulsions, extend the opportunity for asylum to the people who have come here from the island, and expedite humanitarian aid to Haiti for the people who haven’t."

"Another incarcerated person has lost their life today, another family is mourning. Twelve people so far this year, three in the last month, have been sentenced to death on Rikers Island. I would be speechless in horror and grief if I were not so angry, and so heartbroken that we have reached this point. The Mayor and Governor’s refusal to see these conditions in person is at this point a denial of responsibility – and an abdication of duty by a Mayor who hasn't visited in his entire second term.

"Neither executive is fully responsible for the long decline in conditions on Rikers, but both are responsible for what happens next – and any confidence in the Mayor to lead through an emergency exacerbated by his inaction is evaporating by the hour. As lives are lost and this spiral of inhumanity continues unabated, it is time for the Mayor and Governor to join me in asking the federal government to provide sufficient resources and personnel to administer the medical and other humanitarian support this crisis mandates, with the state supplementing where possible. This must be done in coordination with legal support from the Attorney General’s office, alongside efforts to return corrections staff to work with safety as a priority, expedite decarceration, and ultimately close Rikers."

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams called for the passage of legislation restoring voting rights in municipal elections to non-citizen residents during a City Council hearing on Monday. The legislation from Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez and of which the Public Advocate is a co-sponsor – the 'Our City, Our Vote' bill – would provide a process for lawful permanent residents in New York city to vote in municipal elections.

"Expanding the franchise through this bill will strengthen civic engagement, government accountability, and immigrant rights..." said Public Advocate Williams before the Committee on Government Operations. "... It is also critical to note that non-citizens had voting rights in this country for much longer than they have not had voting rights. From the founding of the Country until the wave of anti-immigrant sentiment in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, non-citizens had the right to vote in many states and federal territories. Let’s be clear—the exclusion of immigrants from voting is a political choice rooted in racism and xenophobia. We can get this done—and we have a duty to."

The bill would also establish a five-person advisory group, with the Public Advocate as Chairperson, to provide recommendations regarding any problems or potential improvements with respect to the voting process implemented by the legislation. It would include appointees by the Speaker and Mayor.

Public Advocate Williams stressed that "This City has a multitude of priority initiatives that are affecting the immigrant community. It is critical that we amplify their voice in governance by extending them the right to vote... We should allow people who experience the worst impact of our policies the ability to vote on who is making those policies."

The Public Advocate's full testimony is below.

TESTIMONY OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS 

TO THE CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

My name is Jumaane D. Williams and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. Thank you Chair Cabrera and a special shout out to Councilmembers Rodríguez and Salamanca for both of their bills. I’ll be speaking primarily on Councilmember Rodríguez’s bill.

I’d first like to lift up the plight of the 13,000 Haitian nationals at our border that the President is trying to send back. Very often, the plight of black immigrants is not lifted up as much as it should be—so I want to start off with that.

Immigrant New Yorkers shape our City in countless ways, but many are locked out of our electoral processes. This means City residents who fund, use, and provide essential government services have no political voice in how these services are funded and operated. It also means that elected leaders have no political incentive to advance policies that are of interest to these residents. Even when those policies most adversely affect them. As a sanctuary City that prides itself on its immigrant past, present, and future, this must change.

As a first generation American, as the son of immigrants from Grenada, I am proud to co-sponsor the Our City, Our Vote bill, Int. 1867 by Council Member Rodriguez, which would restore—and I think it’s important that we continue to say that, we simply restore— the right of non-citizen New Yorkers who have Green Cards and work authorizations to vote in municipal elections. Expanding the franchise through this bill will strengthen civic engagement, government accountability, and immigrant rights. I strongly urge my colleagues to pass this legislation.

I’d like to note that while this bill is transformative, it is not unprecedented. I hear a lot of pushback of legality—maybe it’s one of logistics we can move through. Because there are nine municipalities in Maryland where non-citizens are not excluded from the franchise: Barnesville, Chevy Chase Sections Five and Three, Glen Echo, Hyattsville, Martin’s Additions, Mount Rainier, Riverdale Park, Somerset, and Takoma Park. Additionally, in Chicago and San Francisco non-citizens are able to vote in school board elections. Further, New Yorkers who were non-citizens were previously able to vote in School Board elections from 1969 to the dissolution of the School Board system in 2002. It is also critical to note that non-citizens had voting rights in this country for much longer than they have not had voting rights. From the founding of the Country until the wave of anti-immigrant sentiment in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, non-citizens had the right to vote in many states and federal territories. Let’s be clear—the exclusion of immigrants from voting is a political choice rooted in racism and xenophobia. We can get this done—and we have a duty to.

Whether it’s furthering language access, keeping Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) off of our streets, securing labor rights for delivery workers and street vendors, supporting small businesses, or improving and legalizing substandard basements, this City has a multitude of priority initiatives that are affecting the immigrant community. It is critical that we amplify their voice in governance by extending them the right to vote.

Very often in these situations it is people of privilege trying to prevent people from getting that privilege. The question we have to ask is: Why? Whether it’s marriage or voting rights—it’s what are we trying to prevent and why are we trying to prevent it? We should allow people who experience the worst impact of our policies the ability to vote on who is making those policies. And as I mentioned, we are simply restoring something that was I believe wrongly taken away from people in the first place.

I don’t have any questions, I just wanted to make that statement. I want to thank all of the panelists for all of the work they are doing to get this forward. Special shout out to Assembly Member Catalina Cruz who has been doing this work for quite some time and is a shining example of the people we are speaking about. This should be a proud moment for New York City. This should be a proud moment for our nation as we are pushing back on the xenophobia we are seeing. I hope that our colleagues support it and that our Mayor shows some leadership in a time where leadership is lacking from that side of City Hall.

"Another life has been lost on Rikers – another death sentence coming as a consequence of the crisis conditions on the island. I pray for the family of Karim Isaabdul – they, and we all, need answers and the accountability that comes with them.

"As I saw last week, and as we have argued since the start of the pandemic, a lack of adequate health protocols have compounded the threat to the safety of everyone on Rikers. The steps that have been taken in recent days in effort to decarcerate and start to stabilize the situation are welcome, but do not go far enough, fast enough to alleviate the health and safety emergency for all inside."

"I thank the Governor for enacting and expediting the Less Is More Act, as calls from advocates and elected officials amplified the cries for relief that have long echoed from Rikers Island.

"This is an important component of the decarceration strategy that is critical to alleviating the crisis conditions on Rikers, but it is only one step of the many that must be taken, and the pace of action is far too slow for the immediacy of this human rights disaster. We need the city to grant low-level offenders supervised release, and early and compassionate release options should be exercised. Prosecutors and judges must quickly prioritize alternatives to incarceration, and staff must return to work with their safety as a priority. I ask again that the Mayor and Governor see this emergency in person, so that they can understand the urgency and scope of the disaster relief that is needed for those who are incarcerated or working on Rikers Island."