Regional Briefs – September 24, 2014

Young Migrants to Receive Legal Help

NEW YORK (AP) – The New York City Council and two philanthropic foundations are setting aside $1.9 million to help unaccompanied immigrant children facing deportation.

The Council announced Tuesday that it is earmarking $1 million for legal representation and other services for the minors.

The Robin Hood Foundation is adding $550,000 while the New York Community Trust is donating $360,000.

City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said it is a moral issue, not a political issue.

Tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors have illegally crossed the United States’ southern border this year. Many are now staying in New York.

The donation spearheaded by the council is meant to assist those groups with their workload.

Mayor Defends Right To Protest

NEW YORK (AP) – Mayor Bill de Blasio is defending protesters’ rights to demonstrate on New York City’s streets.

More than 100 people were arrested Monday in a protest claiming that Wall Street companies were destroying the earth.

Many of them deliberately blocked roadways, snarling traffic in the nation’s financial capital.

De Blasio said Tuesday he thinks “the First Amendment is a little more important than traffic.”

The mayor said that since New York is an international city and home to the United Nations, it has a “responsibility” to allow peaceful protests.

Mayor Will Consider Pied-a-Terre Tax

NEW YORK (AP) — Mayor Bill de Blasio is saying he’ll “take a look” at a proposal to tax luxury pieds-a-terre in New York City.

The Fiscal Policy Institute released a report Monday urging de Blasio to seek Albany’s approval to tax people who keep a second home in New York worth more than $5 million. The institute said there were more than 1,500 of those apartments which could raise $665 million every year.

Many who keep second homes in New York claim their permanent residency in nearby states.

Others are wealthy foreigners who keep a Manhattan apartment as a status symbol or investment. 

This article appeared in print on page 8 of the September 24th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.