Queens leaders launch Know Your Rights Week in response to elevated ICE exercise
EAST ELMHURST, Queens (WABC) — Volunteers, native officers and immigration advocates launched “Know Your Rights Week” in elements of Queens, aiming to teach residents about their rights if approached by immigration enforcement officers.
Going door to door in East Elmhurst, volunteer Odilia Gonzalez spoke with neighbors about how to reply to encounters with immigration enforcement.
The hassle is private for Gonzalez, whose brother, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, spent months in a detention middle after being stopped on his method to work.
“On the time I felt unhappy, annoyed, I by no means thought that would occur,” Gonzalez mentioned.
The canvassing adopted a rally organized by native leaders and advocates to kick off the initiative in District 35, which incorporates East Elmhurst, Corona, LeFrak Metropolis and Rego Park.
Assemblymember Lorinda C. Hooks mentioned her workplace has lately obtained quite a few calls about individuals being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“People who find themselves right here who work for a dwelling, who pay taxes, by no means touched by the justice system, elevating youngsters, college runs, libraries, grocery retailer runs, working individuals handled like criminals,” Hooks mentioned.
Organizers mentioned residents ought to pay attention to their rights and put together upfront for attainable encounters with immigration authorities. Steerage shared through the marketing campaign consists of remaining silent and making a communication plan with members of the family.
“When what your rights are, you might be upholding your rights and making certain that your rights is not going to be violated,” mentioned Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition.
Along with advocating for limits on immigration enforcement exercise in Queens, some officers are calling for Momentary Protected Standing for Haitians to be restored following its termination by the Trump administration on Aug. 5.
Assemblymember Clyde Vanel, whose dad and mom have been born in Haiti, voiced help for restoring the designation.
“It is ironic that that is America’s 250th birthday, a rustic of immigrants, everyone. Until you are a Native American, everyone right here is an immigrant. Everybody,” Vanel mentioned.
The Division of Homeland Safety didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark relating to experiences of elevated ICE exercise in Queens.
The company has constantly maintained that arrests are supposed to guard public security.
———-
* Obtain the abc7NY app for breaking information alerts
Submit a tip or story concept to Eyewitness Information
Have a breaking information tip or an concept for a narrative we must always cowl? Ship it to Eyewitness Information utilizing the shape beneath. If attaching a video or picture, phrases of use apply.
Copyright © 2026 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.
