Joe Crowley (file photo)
July 10, 2017 By Jason Cohen
Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) plans to introduce legislation in the House this week that would provide undocumented 9/11 rescue and clean-up workers with green cards, he announced yesterday.
Crowley’s bill, called the 9/11 Immigrant Worker Freedom Act, comes just weeks after he led a successful campaign to stop deportation proceedings against Carlos Cardona, a Jackson Heights resident who aided in the cleanup of the World Trade Center site after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Several elected officials joined Crowley at a press conference held at the steps of City Hall yesterday where he announced the bill. U.S. Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Nydia Velázquez and Adriano Espaillat were there in support, as were immigration advocates.
“In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, these workers stepped up to provide critical services so our nation could begin to heal and rebuild,” Crowley said. “Countless individuals went to work at a long, hazardous and painful job of cleaning up the destruction of the attacks. Yet many of them still lack legal immigration options and have lived in fear of deportation from the country they served. It is a great disservice and injustice to these immigrants who call our country home and that’s why I’m announcing legislation to ensure our nation does right by them.”
Alex Sanchez, the president of United We Stand, a social justice organization, commended the congressman on his efforts to help 9/11 workers.
“When you consider the sacrifice these workers made, it is the least we can do to show our gratitude,” Sanchez said. “We must continue to lead by example to provide leadership that simply saves lives and I applaud Congressman Crowley’s effort to support those workers who served our country in the aftermath of 9/11.”
The legislation is not likely to go very far given the Republican-controlled Congress, and with the Trump administration, which has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration.
Featured Events
3 Comments
That awful day occurred almost 16 years ago. Way to introduce legislation in a timely manner. I’m not even totally opposed to the idea of doing this, but how are any of these people going to actually prove where they were and what they were doing 16 years ago? You’ll certainly have a bunch of undocumented people lying about this to get a green card, i don’t even blame them…who wouldn’t give it a shot if they passed some idiotic bill like this.
ILLEGAL IS ILLEGAL WHAT DOESN’T THIS MAN UNDERSTAND —
What a foolish comment. People who ran down to ground zero to help clean up care more about America than Donald Trump himself. A few years ago Republicans were looking to strip evryone who worked down there of any health care. Today they are doing the same. Yet they have no issue keeping the public in fear of terrorists. What a shameful and cynical reality. the cammentor above was likely cowering under his bed while this man ran to the site of the WTC. How patriotic?