Dietl & Malliotakis On DACA



Rival mayoral candidates Bo Dietl and Nicole Malliotakis support continuation of DACA, and oppose President Trump’s expected termination of the program.  I spoke with Dietl, running on a self-created line in the general election, and Malliotakis, the Republican and Conservative Party nominee, just before today’s West Indian Day Parade.

Dietl:

Dietl said that he’s “totally against” the ending of DACA.  Voicing support for the DACA applicants, Dietl declared that “we gotta bring ’em into our system” and called for a path to citizenship.

 

Malliotakis:

Malliotakis condemned any presidential action removing the DACA protections.  Noting that there has not been any White House announcement yet, Malliotakis was nonetheless clear that she would oppose any significant reduction or elimination of DACA’s protections.   She urged Congress to act and “put[] forward some type of path for legalization and citizenship.”  She also urged Congress to act more broadly to improve the immigration system.

Cuomo Gaggle



Governor Andrew Cuomo spoke with the press this morning, just before marching in the West Indian Day Parade.

Governor Cuomo began with a lengthy statement celebrating diversity and condemning President Trump’s expected end to DACA, with the consequence of a move toward deporting hundreds of thousands of people who unlawfully came to America as children.  Cuomo’s emotional defense of immigrants included a statement that New York will sue to stop any ending of DACA and move toward deporting the “Dreamers.”  Cuomo took four questions, one on the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle, one on what he would do concerning DACA and state lawsuits opposing elimination if he were president and two on whether he’ll endorse Mayor de Blasio in next week’s Democratic primary.

Concerning Columbus, Cuomo replied at length touting the role of Columbus in the heritage of Italian-Americans and urging restraint in focusing on faults of historical figures.  He confirmed that he’s opposed to removal of the Columbus statue.  On his actions if he was  president Cuomo said that he would continue DACA.  He sought to avoid discussion of the Democratic primary, saying that since he doesn’t vote in the City he doesn’t have any primary endorsements “at this time.”  (He nonetheless had endorsed candidates in other races for the upcoming primary.)

Cuomo Cold Shoulder



Governor Andrew Cuomo gave Mayor Bill de Blasio yet another political cold shoulder today, brushing off the possibility of endorsing de Blasio for reelection just a week ahead of the Democratic mayoral primary.  de Blasio was an energetic supporter of Cuomo in his 2014 reelection, publicly supporting him as early as May and energetically helping Cuomo win the support of the Working Families Party.  Speaking with reporters ahead of the West Indian Day Parade today, Cuomo avoided any mention of de Blasio in reply to questions from NY1’s Grace Rauh and the Daily News’ Erin Durkin,  declaring that as a Westchester resident “I’m not voting in this election so I don’t have any primary endorsements at this time.”