NEWS AND OPINION:
A New York City councilman is speaking up about the ongoing challenge of tending to the many new migrants in the city and its neighborhoods.
“New Yorkers shouldn’t pay to be the world’s sanctuary. How long can we sustain this? Our neighborhoods are being overwhelmed by the unchecked influx of migrants. ’We’re getting dumped on here’ is a sentiment many of my constituents share,” writes New York City Councilman Robert Holden, a Democrat who represents District 30 in Queens, in an opinion piece published Tuesday by The New York Post.
“The reality is stark: These shelters add nothing to our communities and, in many cases, only bring crime. Since the spring of 2022, over 204,000 migrants have entered New York City’s intake system, and over 66,000 were in our care just last month,” he said.
“There are now 216 migrant sites open throughout the city, with more than 70 in Queens alone. The city is slated to spend a staggering $12 billion over several fiscal years on this mess. This is unsustainable and unfair,” Mr. Holden continued.
“The hypocrisy of some of my colleagues in government is astonishing. Not too long ago, they were quick to label Republicans as ’anti-immigrant’ for advocating for secure borders and rational immigration policies. They urged President Biden to end the Remain in Mexico policy and cheered when the courts ended Title 42. Now, faced with the consequences of these decisions, they are finally sounding the alarm. But it’s too little, too late,” the councilman said.
“Is this what taxpayers in our city deserve? Politicians opening the floodgates and then complaining about the deluge after the damage is done? It’s time for the voters to wake up and elect leaders who have their best interests at heart,” Mr. Holden wrote.
“We cannot afford to have a seesaw response to crises. We need leaders willing to take on the challenges head-on and make tough decisions, even if they contradict their party’s talking points. Our low-income and middle-class communities, filled with hardworking, longtime New Yorkers, now see their government prioritizing new arrivals over them,” the councilman noted.
PENCE HAS A SAY
Former Vice President Mike Pence is not happy with the decision by the Republican National Committee (RNC) to alter the 2024 party platform to exclude a commitment to a national abortion ban, instead calling the issue a state matter.
The committee’s stance on the issue is a departure from the GOP’s longstanding support for protecting the unborn, a stance that “reflects the beliefs of millions of Americans,” Mr. Pence says.
“Now is not the time to surrender any ground in the fight for the right to life. The 2024 platform removed historic pro-life principles that have long been the foundation of the platform. I urge delegates attending next week’s Republican Convention to restore language to our party’s platform recognizing the sanctity of human life and affirming that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed,” Mr. Pence said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
“The updated platform also cedes this fight to the states, leaving the unborn in California and Illinois to the far-left’s extremist abortion policies. The right to life is not only a state issue; it is a moral issue, and our party must continue to speak with moral clarity and compassion about advancing the cause of life at the federal, state and local level,” he continued.
“The Supreme Court did not return the question of abortion to the states only but to the elected representatives of the people,” Mr. Pence said.
NEVER A DULL MOMENT
The Republican National Convention will have some annoyed visitors in the mix. That would be Code Pink, which describes itself as a “grassroots peace and social justice movement.”
“For the fifth time in its 22-year history, CODEPINK will bring its message of peace and justice to the Republican National Convention (RNC). Known for its notorious disruptions, CODEPINK has been a presence at RNC conventions” for decades, Code Pink said in a statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
“CODEPINK has disrupted the business-as-usual proceedings at the RNC, drawing attention to their war agenda. This year’s message echoes those of years past: War criminals are not welcome here. Corruption and politicians bought by foreign governments and weapons companies are not welcome here,” the statement said.
“Of the two war parties, Republicans are the worst. They take President Biden’s humongous military budget and increase it while merrily defunding essentials like health care, education, and the climate. That’s why we have to be at their convention to say - defund war, fund our communities,” said Medea Benjamin in a written statement.
She co-founded the organization with activist Jodie Evans in 2002.
“As politicians and those who support them meet at the party conventions, we will be there as we were in the past to raise the message of peace. Truth is always missing at the conventions, so we hope to sprinkle some; like 65% of your tax dollars are spent on war and militarism and not the needs of the people in the US, and your politicians are bought by a foreign government through AIPAC,” said Ms. Evans, also in a written statement.
She held the title of director of administration during California Gov. Jerry Brown’s first administration and later managed Mr. Brown’s 1992 presidential campaign.
POLL DU JOUR
• 61% of U.S. adults say they have lived in a time which has been a “significant turning point” in American politics; 68% of Democrats, 64% of Republicans and 55% of independents agree.
• 66% of men and 57% of women also agree.
• 15% overall say they have not lived in a time which has been a significant turning point in politics; 14% of Democrats, 15% of Republicans and 16% of independents agree.
• 14% of men and 16% of women also agree.
• 23% are not sure; 18% of Democrats, 21% of Republicans and 29% of independents agree.
• 20% of men and 27% of women also agree.
SOURCE: A YouGov poll of 5,382 U.S. adults conducted online July 9 and “published on the same day” according to the pollster..
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• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.