Transcript: Mayor de Blasio and First Lady McCray Hold Media Availability Regarding Trump Administration Decision to Rescind DACA Program

September 5, 2017

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Everybody, you just heard a powerful story from a young man who is literally experiencing everything we just heard from Washington D.C. today. Right now, for all of us, this is not some abstract policy. This is affecting one of our colleagues, Raul, right here. And this is a good young man who over the last few years I have seen serve this city with tremendous devotion. He is smart, he is committed to public service. Any American should be proud to have someone like this serving all of us. And imagine the pain –

[Applause]

Imagine the pain for Raul and for so many hundreds of thousands more who just this morning now have their lives in limbo, who don’t know what tomorrow brings, literally. We are here to stand by each and every one of them. 30,000 New Yorkers this morning were put in the crosshairs. They are our neighbors, they are our friends, they are our family members. We stand with all 30,000 DREAMers here in New York City, and all 800,000 around this country. 

[Applause]

And, Raul, you are a loyal employee of the City of New York, so, I have an instruction for you and all of the other DREAMers who work for the City of New York – we want you at your work tomorrow, we want you at your desk, we want you at your station serving us. We want to thank you for the work you do. 

[Applause]

Look, this is a day of heartbreak for so many. It is a terrifying moment for so many people who wonder if they’ll be allowed to stay in the only country they’ve known. The actions today by President Trump undermine a bond that has developed in this country between hundreds of thousands of people and all of the rest of us. These good, young men and women who we’ve all gotten to know – even the President at times talked about his understanding, the compassion people feel for the DREAMers, but his actions unfortunately have gone in the opposite direction. Imagine if you had done things the right way and then just saw your rights taken away with the stroke of a pen. We are going to stand up to this. And New Yorkers do not take kindly to anything that affronts our fellow New Yorkers. We don’t take kindly to people being separated out because of who they are. 

So, I have a message for President Trump – don’t mess with your fellow New Yorkers.  

[Cheers]

These are our neighbors. They’re just as much New Yorkers as anybody else. They contribute just as much as anybody else. They’re human beings and they need to be treated with dignity and respect. The American people really do understand this. They yearn for a positive solution here, so now it’s time for all of us to get to work. We will, of course, with cities and states around the country, prepare to use every legal avenue the defend the rights of our DREAMers. We will also get to work immediately – now, I intend to work with mayors all over the country – by the way, Democrats and Republicans alike – who believe that Congress must act and must act quickly. The DREAM Act now is more pertinent than ever, it’s as simple as that. It’s not something to just talk about anymore. Now, we need it. And it’s time for people all over this country to make their views known – say it’s not acceptable for a Congress to act like they can look away. They’ve got to pass the DREAM Act and they’ve got to pass it now for the good of all of these good, young, people. 

[Applause]

You’re going to hear from a number of prominent New Yorkers, and we’re all here in common cause. I just want to say a few things to the DREAMers directly on behalf of New York City. Our city stands with you, and in every way that we work with you we will not act your documentation status. We will continue our policy. 

[Applause]

All DREAMers will have full access to our schools, our hospitals, to all City services, to IDNYC, and most crucially, a reminder to all DREAMers, the NYPD is here to protect you and will never be a deportation force. 

[Applause]

To all DREAMers who need legal advice, call 3-1-1 and we stand ready to provide you legal assistance in your hour of need. To all New Yorkers who want to help at this point – and a special call to lawyers and paralegals whose help will be needed – please sign up on the City website nyc.gov/moia – Mayor’s Offie of Immigrant Affairs – volunteer, nyc.gov/moia. We need you. 

My friends, we live in the ultimate city of immigrants, it’s who we are. We’re proud of it – people of all nations, all faiths, all backgrounds. What we’ve achieved together – we are safe, we are prosperous, we are unified. We have achieved what we have achieved not despite immigrants, but because of immigrants all together, all of us. 

[Applause] 

A few words in Spanish before you hear from my colleagues –

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish]

With that, to speaks about the incredible burden that this is putting on the hearts, and minds, and souls of our DREAMers, our First Lady, Chirlane McCray.  

First Lady Chirlane McCray: Thank you, Bill. Before I begin, I’d like to thank the following leadership from institutions of higher learning, Gail Mellow, the President of LaGuardia Community College –

[Applause]

– and it looks that’s it –

[Laughter]

I would like to thank all the school leadership, students and DREAMers from colleges and universities across our city for standing with us today, and I would like to acknowledge the following advocates – Jose Calderon, president of the Hispanic Federation; James Hong, co-director of the MinKwon Center of Community Action; Jo-Ann Yoo, President of the Asian American Federation; and again, all advocates, and community organizations, etcetera who are here with us today. 

This is why you don’t do acknowledgements, cause you always leave out somebody, right? 

Alright, so tonight, I have the honor – or, I will have the honor – of hosting a group NYC DREAMers at Gracie Mansion for dinner, and I will say to them what I say to you now, in New York City we do not turn our backs on our neighbors. 

[Applause]

They are our friends, our families, and our fellow New Yorkers need us to fight for them and that is exactly what we are going to do. They also need our care and support now more than ever. Just imagine what it’s like to live in constant fear for yourself or for your loved ones. The wondering, the waiting, the worrying – all of that takes an emotional toll that makes daily life and decisions much more difficult. DACA helped create some peace of mind for a community already under pressure, facing threats from many sides. And now, that peace of mind has been torn away. So, even as we come together to whole heartedly oppose this short sighted and cruel action by the Trump administration, even as we fight like hell for a better path forward, we cannot ignore the trauma and stress our neighbors are living with. We want everyone to know that in New York City help is always available. Anyone experiencing, anxiety, depression, or any kind of emotional distress, they can call 1-888-NYC-WELL. That is our free mental health helpline that is available at any time of the day or night. Anyone can also text: WELL – that is W-E-L-L, to 65173, or visit nyc.gov/thrivenyc to chat with a trained counselor. NYC WELL is confidential and anonymous. You do not have to provide your name or identifying information unless you choose to, and you can speak in any language. We have counselors on hand who speak Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese. And translation services are available in more than 200 languages. Can everyone here please say that number with me?

Audience: 1-888-NYC-WELL.

First Lady McCray: One more time.

Audience: 1-888-NYC-WELL.

First Lady McCray: Now, can you please spread the word about this number? Do I hear a yes?

Audience: Yes!

First Lady McCray: Alright.

[Applause]

It’s so important that people know that there is hope and help always available to them, and to our city’s DREAMers, and to all the immigrants who have chosen to make their home here, I want to you to know that you are not alone. New York City has your back. 

Thank you.

[…]

Mayor: I made clear that the City of New York [inaudible] respect and inclusion towards the DREAMers who are here – the 30,000 young people who are here. I know a lot of them right now are wondering what their relationship is going to be with the NYPD in the months ahead because of this horrible decree coming from Washington. So, I’ve told them that I want them to hear directly from one of the leaders of the NYPD the respect that they will be shown in this city that is theirs also – our Chief of Patrol, Chief Terry Monahan. 

Chief of Patrol Terrence Monahan, NYPD: Good evening. Regarding all of the actions taken today, I just want everyone to rest assured, absolutely nothing has changed in the way the NYPD operates. We abide by City law. We never, ever ask someone’s immigration status. 

We had a press conference earlier today talking about crime, how safe this city has become. This city has become safe because we work together with our communities, and that’s everyone in the community. It’s important that, that message gets out to everyone to continue to work. If we’re going to move this city forward, we need to reach out to every person in every community. No one should ever fear coming to speak to the police. It’s how we as a city gets safer. We’ve come this far. I would hope that nothing would change [inaudible] people will still feel comfortable to come to the Police Department and talk with us because, again, we will never ask for anyone’s immigration status. 

[Applause]

Mayor: Thank you so much, Chief. And now, I want you to hear how our school system, which is the lifeblood of the lives of our DREAMers of so many families who seek a better life. Our schools system will work with our DREAMers and their parents. It’s my honor to bring forward our Chancellor Carmen Fariña. 

Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña: I believe that true leadership brings out the best in all of us, and leaders who don’t look for the best in people are bound to lose something very special in their leadership. So, my message today is very clear – every student, parent, educator is welcome and safe in our schools. We will do everything to defend you and keep you safe. But most important, we honor what you bring into our schools. We celebrate different cultures and backgrounds, and we learn for each other. That is what makes New York City very, very special and that’s also what’s going to get us through this to a much better world. 

En Español –

[Chancellor Fariña speaks in Spanish]

Thank you

[…]

Mayor: I want to say as we conclude that this pronouncement is only hours old. We are still analyzing it and its full impact. We know the direction we will take as a city. There are some answers we have, there are some answers we do not have at this point, but I’d like to welcome some questions from the media. If you have questions right now, we’ll do our best to answer them now. 

Yes?

Question: [Inaudible] what kind of message do you think [inaudible] the Trump administration is saying [inaudible] 

Mayor: Look, I think it’s a horrible message and it’s a message that divides us and doesn’t need to. Here’s the painful reality – if the President thought there was a problem of law, he could have worked all these months to pass a DREAM Act and make that problem of law moot. And he would have had all of the support in the world from the business community, and from leaders on both sides of the isle. As you heard earlier, Senator Graham has been one of the strongest voices in favor of the DREAM Act. Why make this pronouncement leaving 800,000 people in doubt and confusion when it could have already been addressed? So, our mission is the recognize that was a reckless act and to immediately create the coalition to resolve this issue once and for all. And in this crisis, I think you’re going to see a striking level of bipartisanship. I can certainly say, working with mayors all over the country, again, Democrats and Republicans both, they know we cannot leave these young people in limbo. So, I think the President’s action was wrong in every way, but I think it will create the energy for everyone else to act. 

Question: Mr. Mayor, you mentioned that we need to pass the DREAM Act at the State level. Have you had any communication with the Governor about that at all? [Inaudible]

Mayor: Yeah, we need the DREAM Act at the State level, and I look forward to working with everybody and anyone. I’ll speak to all of the leaders in Albany about it, but it will not achieve the same things as federal legislation. So, it is the right thing to do in this moment of crisis, to pass the New York State DREAM Act as a matter of progress. But the solution is the federal DREAM Act. 

Question: [Inaudible] 

Mayor: Again, as I said earlier – and I’ll preface by saying we’re only hours into this and we’re fully assessing the situation – but as I said earlier, we want all of our employees who are DACA recipients to show up for work as usual. We intend to treat them normally. We need their efforts. We need their talents. There is time for this issue to be resolved before the six-month period runs out. As we are considering our legal options with so many other cities and states around the country, that’s one immediate path that may change the trajectory. But six months is plenty of time also for Congressional action. So, our interpretation is, we’ll continue as we are today, in the meantime. 

Yes?

Question: School starts this week –

Mayor: Yes, Thursday. 

Question: So, what are schools doing, if anything? A lot of DACA recipients could also be high school students. [Inaudible]

Mayor: We’re going to be spreading information through the schools as we have been already for so many immigrant parents and children who are undocumented. We’re going to do the same – we’re going to double down and provide more information to everyone who is a DACA recipient to clarify their rights, to let them know legal help is available from the City of New York, to let them know that this is not resolved, that we will work to make sure the Congress speaks. So, I will give them a message of reassurance and of help. 

Yes?

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: Again, the two big fronts are in the courts and in the Congress. So, we believe that there’s real opportunity to address this in the court system. We’re formulating that strategy now and we’ll be working with other cities and states. In the Congress, I think this has create an intense moment of crisis, and again the fact that major Republican voices are coming forward in favor of action in the Congress and the business community it speaking so loudly gives me the hope that something can be done. But we’re going to try and build a grassroots coalition of cities all over the country to help get it done. 

We’ll take one or two more, if there are. 

Okay, thanks, everyone.