Thread: NYC Council Allots $18 Million for Adult Education, Illegal Immigrants

By Ivan Pentchoukov, Epoch Times | July 17, 2013

NEW YORK—The city’s illegal immigrants seeking deferred action status from federal immigration authorities are getting help from City Council in the form of an opportunity to return to school.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced on July 17 that $18 million in City Council funding will go toward creating more adult education slots, since the city’s adult education programs are currently at capacity or closed.

Priority for the slots will be given to illegal immigrants who are looking to apply for the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) ahead of immigrants with legal statuses, permanent residents, and citizens.

The eligibility requirements for DACA dictate that applicants must be working toward or have a GED degree or a high school diploma. There are an estimated 79,000 illegal immigrants in New York City who are eligible for DACA, and about 16,000 of those would need to enroll in an adult education program to be eligible for DACA.

DACA is a form of relief from deportation, signed into law by President Barrack Obama, which allows children of immigrants who entered the country illegally to apply for work authorization and to work and live in the United States legally for the duration of their status.

The funding will be split, with $13.7 million going toward adult education programs and legal services administered through the Department of Youth and Community Development, and $4.3 million for the City University of New York.

“We responded both to the president’s call and the immigrant community’s call in New York City,” Quinn said. “If they so choose they will be able to enroll in the adult education classes they need to get deferred action, to stay in the city, to stay in our country, and make our city, state, and country a better place.”

DACA was passed by Congress in June 2012. Since then, about one in four eligible illegal immigrants in New York have applied for the status and one in six have received it, according the Steve Choi, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition.

“Some folks are in communities that just haven’t heard about it. Others think that you need a college degree. Some folks are actually working long hours, some are low literacy or high school dropouts,” Choi said.

The New York City government website has information for those who would like to apply for DACA at nyc.gov/deferredaction

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1853...al-immigrants/

July 25, 2013
Judicial Watch

New York City is making headlines—and angering many—for becoming the nation’s first municipality to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to help illegal immigrants get jobs and learn English. How generous of the Big Apple!

Under the plan the city will become the first in the U.S. to invest $18 million in a special program aimed at helping illegal aliens find work and get driver’s licenses. City officials have named it the immigration relief program and it will include adult education classes and legal services, among other benefits. It is expected to help tens of thousands of illegal immigrants living in the area.

The move has made New York lawmakers heroes among the powerful open borders movement, which applauds the effort as an investment that will allow thousands of immigrants to legally live and work in the country. Everyone will benefit because this will enable the undocumented to legally work, live and reinvest in the city, according to the New York Immigration Coalition, a group that “values the contributions of immigrants and extends opportunity to all.”

Creating a multi-million-dollar program to help illegal immigrants was the idea of New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who is running for mayor this year. At her request the city will provide $13.7 million to “community-based organizations” for “outreach” and $4.3 million to a public university to expand educational opportunities for illegal aliens. “It’s exciting to be the first city in America to make this investment in our young immigrants who, in turn, have so much to offer our city,” Quinn said, reminding that “New York City was built by immigrants.”

Quinn also thanked President Obama for sparing illegal immigrants around the U.S. from deportation and stressed the importance of local governments doing their part to help out and not “let the opportunity of these federal actions fall short.” In this case a big chunk of the public funds will go to expanding educational opportunity, especially for adults in need of basic literacy and English proficiency.

U.S. taxpayers already spend tens of millions of dollars annually to educate illegal immigrants in public elementary and high schools around the nation and the tab is especially high in Mexican border states where many students come to the system with virtually no literacy skills, even in their native language. Some states—including California, Illinois, New York, Utah and Texas—stick it to American taxpayers even harder by also offering illegal immigrants discounted tuition at public colleges and universities.

The investment is well worth it, according to one New York City Councilman, who assures that “expanding educational opportunity is not only good for the economy but it is also going to help keep our immigrant families together.” The same councilman proceeded to congratulate himself and his colleagues asserting that “the New York City Council once again leads the way on responding to the vital needs of our immigrant rich communities.”

http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/20...iens-get-jobs/

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