EAST ORANGE, NJ — The East Orange City Council unanimously voted to approve a proclamation supporting the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — enacted by former President Barack Obama by executive order in 2012 — and condemning President Donald Trump for rescinding the program and leaving it up to the U.S. Congress to resolve in the next six months. Work permits and deportation protections of thousands of undocumented young immigrants are scheduled to expire by then.
“We were also one of the first council to vote to become sanctuary cities in Essex County and the state of New Jersey, too,” said council Chairman Ted Green on Monday, Sept. 11. “We’re proud of the policies and legislation that we have put in place in the city of East Orange regarding the $15 minimum wage; the toy gun ordinance that prohibits the sale of realistic-looking toy guns to youths and school age students; and we wanted to make sure that, with this piece of legislation, that we be in the vanguard and forefront to state unequivocally that we are against any president or anyone pushing children and families away from cities, communities and a country where they have made positive contributions. We don’t want to ever be a part of pushing folks who have been here and were born here out of cities and communities that they now call home.”
Green said there’s a reason why the vote on the proclamation supporting the DACA and denouncing Trump was unanimous and a reason why the people covered by the DACA are nicknamed “Dreamers.”
“We want people to want to live here, eat here, die here, but also grow here in East Orange. The city has always been known for its diversity and multiculturalism, not for separating families and pushing kids back to places where they may have come from, but isn’t where they actually live or grew up,” said Green. “We call the ‘Dreamers’ because they’re here, they dream to have a future here in the United States and we don’t want to be a part of disrupting that. The vote went 10-0, because it’s a fact that it’s wrong today, it was wrong yesterday and it will be wrong tomorrow.”
Although the vote was unanimous, it was actually 8-0, as 1st Ward Councilwoman Amy Lewis and 5th Ward Councilwoman Alicia Holman were absent from the meeting and did not vote on the proclamation.
That was good news to Miryam Torres of the Hispanics for Progress of the Oranges and Essex County, former Orange Board of Education President and current Hispanos Mano A Mano President Cristina Mateo, and HFPOE Public Relations Director Orlando Soto, who said they were looking forward to the council’s proclamation vote on Monday, Sept. 11. They agreed on this point on Saturday, Sept. 9, during the Hispanic Coalition’s Soccer Tournament at the Orange High School baseball field at Central Avenue Playground, during Mayor Dwayne Warren and Orange City Council’s 12 Hours of Community Service Back to School event. Soto said the goal is to have the U.S. Senate and Congress “step to the plate” and create a law that’s going to protect the “Dreamers” permanently, “not just an executive order that can expire with a president leaving.”
“We hope and pray that the president sticks to his word by allowing the legislators to create a permanent law that will protect them and keep them here,” said Soto on Saturday, Sept. 9. “They were born here and they are productive people in our community. They didn’t have a choice. So we hope and pray that the president sticks to his word and the legislators step to the plate and make a law that keeps them here.”
Torres said the East Orange proclamation is a very good step in the direction that she, Soto, Mateo and Green would like to see the rest of the country go.
“On Monday, City Hall in East Orange is passing a proclamation that is going to go to the President,” said Torres on Saturday, Sept. 9. “One is protesting his views on DACA and, secondly, is supporting all the DACA students who are here in the country.”
Soto said it’s not just about Latinos; it’s about serving and loving other people, and Mateo agreed with him.
“That’s what we all do,” said Mateo on Saturday, Sept. 9. “We’re growing together and we’re going to continue staying together and we also welcome anyone that wants to do the same thing that we do. If you want to learn how to do stuff for the community, want to do things for the community, reach out to us and we will guide you. We’re all one community.”
Torres said anyone interested in learning more about Hispanics for Progress of the Oranges can contact her via her Facebook page.
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