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Rep. Nydia Velazquez endorses Keith Powers for Manhattan borough president

Rep. Nydia Velazquez endorses Keith Powers for Manhattan borough president

Yahoo08-04-2025

NEW YORK — Rep. Nydia Velazquez has endorsed Keith Powers in his run for Manhattan borough president — the current councilmember's second congressional endorsement.
The Puerto Rican congresswoman represented the Lower East Side for decades before redistricting shifted her district to parts of Brooklyn and Queens. She remains influential there, especially among Latino voters.
'As a proven leader on the Council, Keith has led the fight for building more affordable housing, lowering costs and making our city a better and more prosperous place to live,' Velazquez said in a statement.
Powers is running against State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal in the race. Mark Levine, the sitting beep, is opting out of seeking reelection to instead run for city comptroller.
The west side senator has previously won the backing of Reps. Dan Goldman and Jerry Nadler, while Powers has nabbed the endorsement of Rep. Adriano Espaillat.

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In fact, many expenses associated with the federal partnership, such as officer salaries, overtime and transportation, are covered by local agencies and taxpayers, per the agreements. Local departments can participate in three ways. The jail enforcement and warrant service officer models limit local agencies' immigration powers to people already being held in local jails and state prisons for other charges. The task force model extends that authority to community policing. The Obama administration Advertisement The Trump administration's decision to resurrect them has drawn sharp criticism. Immigration advocates say it erodes communities' trust in police, violates constitutional rights and shifts the focus of enforcement from immigrants charged with violent crimes to those who've committed minor offenses. They also note it comes as the Trump administration has None of the agreements allow local officers to act on their own. They must be supervised or directed by ICE. 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'There has been much more interest in community policing than there was 20 years ago, and that is very directly in conflict with turning local police into immigration officers.' Advertisement Since the 287(g) Program first ramped up nearly 20 years ago, it has faced repeated accusations of racial profiling and of creating a chilling effect among immigrant communities, who may be reluctant to report crimes. Two Justice Department investigations alleged that enforcement under 287(g) agreements led to constitutional violations in North Carolina and Arizona. ICE subsequently pulled their agreements. In North Carolina's Alamance County, the DOJ found in 2012, six years after the sheriff signed a 287(g) agreement, that the sheriff's office engaged 'in a pattern or practice of discriminatory policing against Latinos.' 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Dangerous criminal illegals with lengthy criminal records who pose a risk to the American people are detained all the time thanks to partnerships with local law enforcement officers.' In an In highlighting ICE's push for greater collaboration with local law enforcement, Homan rebuffed a common criticism of the 287(g) Program — that allowing police to enforce immigration laws erodes trust between communities and local officers. 'I'm sick and tired of hearing the talking point, 'Well, we're a welcoming community, we're a sanctuary city because we want victims and witnesses of a crime that live in the immigrant community to feel safe coming to law enforcement to report that crime,'' Homan told Arizona lawmakers. 'That is a bunch of garbage. A victim and witness of crime don't want the bad guy back out there either.' ICE is seeking more funding to expand 287(g) agreements and its detention and deportation capacity. 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