Latest news with #Espaillat
The Hill
01-08-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair accuses Texas Republicans of silencing Latino voters with redistricting plan
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat (D-Texas) accused Texas Republicans of silencing Latino voters with their proposed redistricting plan in a letter first obtained by The Hill on Friday. In a letter addressed to J.M. Vasut, chair of the Texas Committee on Redistricting, and the committee's Jon Rosenthal, Espaillat described the new congressional map proposed by Texas Republicans as 'a blatant power grab that undermines democracy and silences Latino voters.' Espaillat specifically noted that in Harris County, where Latinos make up 46 percent of the population, Texas Republicans have slashed the Hispanic Voting Age population in the 29th congressional district from 65.5 percent to 43 percent. 'Across the state, Republicans are using surgical precision to redraw maps and erode minority voting strength,' Epaillat wrote. 'The goal is not fairness, it's submission—to Trump, to extremism, and to a toxic political agenda that enriches the powerful while working families, children, seniors, and veterans are left behind. This redistricting scheme would be more at home under a dictatorship than in a functioning democracy.' Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) presented the letter while testifying in the Texas state House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting. Espaillat's letter comes as the committee is gearing up to vote on the proposed House map, which would create five new House seats that President Trump won by double digits in November. President Trump had called on the state's Republicans to redraw the lines to protect the party's narrow 219-212 House majority in the 2026 midterms.
Politico
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Is 26 Federal Plaza a detention facility?
With help from Amira McKee A LOT IN A NAME: How the Trump administration classifies the Lower Manhattan space where migrants are being held is key to whether House members are permitted inside to conduct oversight. It's a detention center, according to congressional Democrats, migrants and their advocates. It's a processing center, say Department of Homeland Security officials. Reps. Nydia Velázquez, Adriano Espaillat, Dan Goldman and Jerry Nadler are considering their options for recourse after being repeatedly denied access to the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza. Those House Democrats are legally authorized as members of Congress to make unannounced inspections of 'detention facilities holding individuals in federal immigration custody.' They want to confirm for themselves the reports of overcrowding and lack of meals for migrants awaiting deportation proceedings. Why stop them from visiting if there's nothing to see, the lawmakers have argued. Their roadblock has been the Trump administration's claim that the space isn't a detention facility in the first place. Today, new videos surreptitiously captured what Espaillat has called the 'notorious 10th floor.' They showed about two dozen migrants crowded into a room, some sleeping on the floor. The videos were released by the New York Immigration Coalition and first reported by THE CITY. 'Since May, ICE has been snatching New Yorkers off the streets and out of immigration court and taking them to this floor,' Velázquez said in a statement. 'They've claimed it's not a detention facility, just a 'processing center,' to block members of Congress from exercising our legal right to conduct oversight.' DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin reiterated the distinction in a statement today and called reports of subprime conditions 'categorically false.' '26 Federal Plaza is not a detention center,' she said. 'It is (a) processing center where illegal aliens are briefly processed to be transferred to an ICE detention facility.' In Washington today, Goldman heard testimony from a Bronx Defenders representative who described migrants being held at 26 Federal Plaza — an administrative building — for days or even weeks with limited access to food, medical care and legal counsel and with so little space that they must sleep sitting up. 'The law requires Congress members to be given access unannounced to any facility that is detaining or otherwise housing immigrants,' Goldman responded. 'And certainly what you just described of your clients remaining there for days and days would seem to satisfy the plain language of being detained or otherwise housed.' Playbook was with Velázquez and Espaillat last week as they tried to tour the 10th floor. They were sent away without access. 'The 10th Floor detention facility must be shut down immediately and regularly inspected to ensure that ICE adheres to federal guidelines as mandated by law,' Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition, said in a statement. — Emily Ngo FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL NARCISSE-ISM: Campaign finance regulators slapped City Council Member Mercedes Narcisse with more than $30,000 in penalties for spending above the limit and for pocketing an extra $1,744 in leftover campaign funds. The Brooklyn Democrat reported spending $14,000 over the $190,000 limit in the 2021 primary, the New York City Campaign Finance Board found in an audit. After the 2021 race ended, Narcisse's campaign also withdrew the remaining $1,744 from her account, which the board interpreted as 'converting campaign funds to personal use.' The board finalized its audit nearly four years after the race. Narcisse won comfortably in 2021, was reelected in 2023 and is all but guaranteed to win again in November. The $30,244 total penalty is particularly large for a council race. Council Member Rita Joseph was hit with a $1,316 penalty Tuesday, for example, while many members avoid penalities all together. The board declined to comment beyond the brief summary released today. 'The issues raised stem from poor record-keeping and gross mismanagement by a former treasurer,' Narcisse said in a statement. 'There was no intentional misuse of funds,' she added, saying she's strengthened internal controls and has run her subsequent campaigns without issues. — Jeff Coltin SPARRING WITH STEPHEN A: Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo's fight for support from Black voters in the mayoral race is playing out on podcasts. During an interview last week on Stephen A. Smith's pod, Adams accused Cuomo of having a history of undermining Black Democratic candidates — Carl McCall in the 2002 race for governor, Charlie King in the 2006 state attorney general campaign and David Paterson in 2010. 'He has a history when it comes down to Black elected officials,' Adams told Smith. 'I'm not calling him a racist. He has a problem against Black men.' Cuomo, who rebooted his campaign this month after losing to Zohran Mamdani in the June Democratic primary, pushed back. He noted that McCall and Paterson have endorsed his bid for mayor. And King, a longtime confidant, helped run his mayoral primary campaign. 'If somebody has a problem with Black leadership, Black men, because none of them support him,' Cuomo told Smith in a Monday podcast. 'Desperate people say desperate things.' The dustup underscores the need for Adams and Cuomo to get the other man out of the race. The mayor and former governor share an overlapping base that includes Black voters. Adams, the city's second Black mayor, has insisted he will remain in the race as Cuomo urges the field to consolidate behind the strongest candidate to defeat Mamdani in the general election. The former governor has placed a strong second to the 33-year-old democratic socialist in polls. — Nick Reisman FROM CITY HALL ICE AND ADAMS: Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday he agreed with the Department of Homeland Security secretary's criticism of New York's sanctuary city policies after an officer was shot by an undocumented immigrant Saturday night. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem heavily criticized the Adams administration Monday, saying the two men charged with the shooting had been arrested multiple times before and each had deportation orders against them. The mayor, who's in the midst of an uphill reelection campaign, said he's long aligned with the sentiments of the top Trump aide. 'I've been almost a lone voice in this city talking about this, that we need to examine parts of our laws that allow extremely dangerous people to go in and out of our criminal justice system,' Adams said at a Tuesday press conference. He was also quick to blame New York's sanctuary city laws and their proponents in the City Council for the alleged perpetrators moving in and out of city custody without ICE cooperation. 'The City Council has been clear that they have no intention to look at this, and I think it's unfortunate,' Adams said. 'It places everyday documented and undocumented New Yorkers in jeopardy.' — Amira McKee IN OTHER NEWS — CITY-OWNED GROCERIES: Mamdani's call for city-owned grocery stores has become a hot-button issue for his supporters and critics, but both sides forget that New York City already has six. (Gothamist) — FOREIGN DEBT: Comptroller Brad Lander allowed long-time investments in Israeli government bonds to lapse, a move he says aimed to equalize the city's treatment of foreign debt. His critics say he furthered the 'Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions' campaign. (THE CITY) — CLIMATE LAW CHALLENGES: Compliance with the city's Local Law 97 will be much more difficult as a key tax credit for solar panels goes away. (Crain's New York Business) Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. Espaillat, influential among NYC Latino voters, endorses Zohran Mamdani for mayor
Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a key influencer among Latino voters, threw his weight behind Zohran Mamdani's mayoral candidacy on Thursday. The endorsement comes after Espaillat supported ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his failed primary run. The congressmember also previously backed Mayor Adams. Mamdani, who appears in early polling to be the frontrunner headed into November's general election, has collected institutional support from unions and other elected leaders since his 12-point win in June. Other key party leaders, such as Gov. Hochul, continue to express reluctance about Mamdani. 'The city is at a precipice, and people are forced to move out because they can't make ends meet,' Espaillat said at a Washington Heights press conference announcing the endorsement. 'And I think he represents that vision. I think more and more people are lining up with that vision.' Espaillat stressed the importance of unity among Democrats in supporting their nominee and said that he would campaign and make calls on Mamdani's behalf. 'I have never chosen to be outside of the Democratic lane, and we will continue to back those candidates, those nominees, that voters tell us that they support,' he said. Mamdani said Espaillat, the first Dominican American member of Congress, was a model for how to push back against President Trump. 'We have to fight the authoritarian administration in Washington, DC,' Mamdani said from the United Palace. 'We have to fight for the working people in this city who are being pushed out of the place that they call home. And I look at Congressmember Espaillat and I see a guide for how to do both of those things at the same time.'
The Hill
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Adriano Espaillat endorses Mamdani after previously backing Cuomo
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani notched an endorsement on Thursday from a top House member who previously backed Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary. Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, declared his support for the Democratic nominee, who pulled off a surprise upset against Cuomo — who had been viewed as the frontrunner throughout the primary race. Espaillat said he's endorsing Mamdani because New Yorkers 'deserve a mayor who will wake up every day and fight for them.' 'Zohran Mamdani brings clarity, discipline, and a deep commitment to tackling the stubborn issues facing New York City,' the New York lawmaker said in a statement. 'He understands our city doesn't work if everyday New Yorkers — the very people that keep it moving forward — can't afford to live here.' 'From facing the housing crisis head-on to supporting students coping with housing instability, and from working to ensure that people can retire with dignity to restoring CUNY as a real pathway to opportunity, he has a strong vision of how to make New York serve those working to realize the American dream,' he added. Mamdani said Espaillat has been on the 'front lines' opposing the Trump administration, and that they both recognize the need to stand up for their values as well as working class and immigrant communities. 'As we expand this coalition for an affordable city to more New Yorkers, it is a profound honor to have the Congressman in our corner,' he said. Espaillat, a fifth-term congressman, is just the latest New York Democrat to support Mamdani, a member of the State Assembly. Some Democrats have shown some hesitancy to back the self-described democratic socialist, but he's slowly increased his support since winning the primary held last month. Mamdani received an endorsement from Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), the dean of New York's congressional delegation, just a day after the primary. Nadler had backed former city Comptroller Scott Stringer in the primary. He has also since received support from Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, the chairs of the Manhattan and Brooklyn Democratic parties and New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams — who opposed him in the primary. A few top New York Democrats have continued to withhold their support, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. All have congratulated Mamdani on his primary win and said they have had conversations with him but stopped short of formally backing him.
Global News
17-06-2025
- Global News
Jet Set owners charged with involuntary homicide after deadly roof collapse
The owners of Jet Set, a popular nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where 236 people were killed when its roof collapsed during a live concert in early April, have been arrested and charged with involuntary homicide, the Dominican Republic's attorney general's office says. The establishment's roof collapsed in the small hours of April 8 with hundreds of concertgoers inside, prompting a multi-day search and rescue effort to find survivors and the deceased, the ordeal sparking outrage over the country's substandard building safety codes. Antonio Espaillat, a prominent Dominican businessman and the club's owner, who also runs dozens of local radio stations and several entertainment hubs, was arrested on Thursday after a former employee presented evidence proving that he had advised the owners, including Espaillat, to cancel the concert because the roof of the building was in a dangerously poor condition, according to reports by The New York Times. Story continues below advertisement According to NBC News, the man identified himself as former Jet Set employee Gregory Adamés during an interview with Altanto TV, a local Dominican digital news channel, which says he provided prosecutors with video of conversations with Espaillat where he advised that the ill-fated party shouldn't go ahead because the roof may collapse. 1:10 Death toll from Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse rises to 124 Espaillat was detained on Thursday after attending a hearing at the attorney general's office in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo, his lawyer, Jorge Luis Polanco, confirmed. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Maribel Espaillat, Antonio's sister, who managed the club, has also been charged with involuntary manslaughter. View image in full screen Members of special police forces take Maribel Espaillat, sister of businessman Antonio Espaillat, into custody in Santo Domingo on June 15, 2025. STR / Getty Images In a statement published by the New York Times, the attorney general's office wrote that the siblings 'demonstrated immense irresponsibility and negligence by failing to do what was necessary to ensure that the Jet Set Club's roof was adequately and expertly repaired,' adding that they had attempted to 'manipulate or intimidate' employees who could have been potential witnesses. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Aerial view shows rescue teams working at the Jet Set nightclub a day after the collapse of its roof in Santo Domingo on April 9, 2025. Rescuers raced to find survivors among the rubble of the nightclub where at least 124 people, including a former Major League Baseball star, were killed when the roof collapsed. Alfred Davies/ Getty Images It did not provide additional details. In an interview shortly after the disaster, Espaillat appeared to express remorse, telling the media that he was 'destroyed' by the fatal incident that killed 236 people, adding that if he could have prevented the collapse, he would have. 'There was no warning, nothing. We were all surprised,' he said. 'I'm going to face everything,' he added. 'I'm not going anywhere.' Espaillat did not attend the scene during rescue efforts over concerns for his safety, as angry crowds had gathered at the site. The club, which was founded 52 years ago by Espaillat's mother, Ana Grecia López, when he was just six years old, had become a pillar of the city's nightlife and was frequented by many high-profile individuals. Story continues below advertisement It remained in the same location for three decades before it collapsed in April with about 515 people inside, according to the owners. The victims of the collapse included seven doctors, a retired United Nations official, former MLB players Octavio Dotel and Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera, and Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi province and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz, the AP reported. It also killed merengue star Rubby Perez, who was performing when the roof caved in. There is currently no government agency dedicated to inspecting the buildings of private businesses in the Dominican Republic, although President Luis Abinader announced after the collapse the introduction of new legislation, which is expected to change that. — With files from the Associated Press
