Mamdani on Haitian immigrants and federal policy
Mamdani says federal immigration decisions are monstrous and life-threatening. He recalls meeting a Haitian New Yorker in Bed-Stuy who was so anxious she FaceTimed her husband, a middle school principal. Many have seen the video of a Haitian man collapsing realizing he must leave the United States. The U.S. is not a permanent hotel for foreign citizens, he argues. Standing alongside a governor willing to invest millions in values, he notes the STATE OF NEW YORK seal behind him.
Transcript (en)
And I just want to lay this out one more time. The consequences of the federal policy are life-threatening. I met a Haitian New Yorker on the subway platform in Bed-Stuy who burst into tears telling me about the anxiety that she was living with. This was right before she FaceTimed her husband, who's a middle school principal, so I could meet the whole family. I'm sure many of us on this stage and in this audience have seen the video of a Haitian man collapsing to the floor when he reckons with the fact that he has to leave this country to go back to Haiti. These are horrific decisions that are being made at the federal level, and I'm proud to stand alongside a governor who is willing to put millions of dollars into the investment in the values that make us proud to be New Yorkers.
