Dems: Staten Island's Malliotakis using 'immigrant children as scapegoats'
I like this woman..
Dems: Staten Island's Malliotakis using 'immigrant children as scapegoats'
By Tom Wrobleski/Staten Island Advance
on January 30, 2013 at 9:30 PM, updated January 31, 201
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Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn) is taking flak from Democrats for linking taxpayer-funded tuition aid for college-age illegal immigrants with Hurricane Sandy victims.Staten Island Advance
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The plight of Hurricane Sandy victims has become a flashpoint in the Albany debate over the DREAM Act.
Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn) is taking flak from Democrats for linking taxpayer-funded tuition aid for college-age illegal immigrants with Hurricane Sandy victims.
Ms. Malliotakis says that Albany lawmakers should be more focused on helping storm victims than providing taxpayer-funded tuition aid to the children of illegal immigrants.
"This should not be the focus of the Assembly or the state Legislature," she said. "There are more pressing issues in the state right now."
Among those issues, she said, is helping the thousands left homeless by Sandy rebuild their lives.
Ms. Malliotakis, a child of immigrants, said that it was "wrong" of Assembly Democrats to pitch DREAM Act legislation at the start of the new legislative session this month.
Under the bill, introduced by Speaker Sheldon Silver on Jan. 16, children brought to this country illegally by their undocumented parents would be eligible for public tuition aid for state college.
With limited state resources, Ms. Malliotakis said that it wasn't "appropriate to give taxpayer-funded tuition aid to illegal aliens. And that's the important word: Illegal."
Said Ms. Malliotakis, "I stand firm. Giving aid to illegal aliens is misguided."
Ms. Malliotakis pointed out that she has always been opposed to the giving tuition aid to illegal immigrants.
In two campaign confrontations with her Democratic opponent last year, an Advance Editorial Board meeting and a NY1 debate, Ms. Malliotakis talked about her opposition.
"It has less to do with the hurricane and more to do with the fact that it's a bad bill," she said on Wednesday.
She said that she supported creation of a "DREAM Fund" through which private donations would be made available for scholarships for illegal immigrants.
Her comments, including in a press release sent out after the bill was introduced, brought a rain of criticism from Democrats.
Borough Democratic chairman John Gulino called Ms. Malliotakis' criticism of the DREAM Act "divisive and dangerous."
"This isn't a time to scapegoat children," Gulino said, "it's a time to come together, as one community and bring real, lasting relief to those most in need."
Ms. Malliotakis invited Gulino to walk her devastated district with her.
"I haven't seen him out there," she said. "If he thinks my constituents don't take priority over illegal aliens, he can come out there with me."
In Albany, the Assembly/Senate Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, which includes 43 Assembly members whose districts were also affected by Sandy, lit into Ms. Malliotakis.
"To create a competition between these issues with the children, who are striving to be productive role models, with storm-affected children and families, is very disappointing," said Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D-Brooklyn), chairman of the task force.
Said Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo (D-Bronx), "What good for our state, our children, our storm-ravaged communities can come about by the misguided anger regurgitated by Assemblywoman Malliotakis when she tries to use immigrant children as scapegoats?"
Ms. Malliotakis -- whose mother is from Cuba and her father from Greece -- said it was "disheartening that people are trying to make this an issue or race or ethnicity."
She said, "I'm partly Hispanic, but this is about legislative priorities."
As for the criticism from the Assembly task force, Ms. Malliotakis said, "We have different values and priorities. That's all."
Dems: Staten Island's Malliotakis using 'immigrant children as scapegoats' | SILive.com
