Today, the New York Immigration Coalition and the New York Community Alliance released questionnaire responses from Michael Bloomberg, Bill Thompson, and Dein Fein – three of New York City’s eight mayoral candidates – on a number of immigration issues. According to their joint press statement today:
The responses document the candidates’ positions on a host of immigrant issues, from how they will tackle the high-school dropout crisis facing English language learners to what they will do to fight for immigration reform at the national level.
The candidates also answered questions about making adult English classes available to more immigrant New Yorkers, the city’s role in immigration enforcement, health care access, affordable housing, and other immigrant concerns.
Each candidate’s full response to the questionnaire is available in PDF format here – (scroll to the bottom)
Their statement notes that approximately 25-33 percent of New York City’s electorate is made up of foreign-born immigrants, and that “Immigrants also are the fastest-growing segment of the city’s voters. Nearly half (41 percent) of all first-time voters were foreign-born, according to a 2008 study conducted by Barnard College of Columbia University and the NYIC.”
The questionnaires were developed to help New York City’s large naturalized immigrant population (those who have become citizens and can vote) decide on the best candidate for the job, and the fact that so many candidates responded reflects the growing influence of this diverse constituency.
