Tag: DCWP

JHISN Newsletter 09/26/2026

Posted on September 26, 2026 by - News, Newsletter

Dear friends,

This month, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin came to our city and criticized our Mayor and our Governor for refusing to work with the ICE agents that grab New Yorkers off the streets, predominantly in our Queens neighborhoods. He declared the end of the surge of ICE agents, who took over 2,100 people away from friends and families during the previous 2 months. Although declaring that these actions had reduced crime, DHS could only provide details of offenses by 10 people: less than 0.5% of those disappeared. 

We still don’t know whether the end of this surge marks a change in the number of disappearances we see every day. Equally, we still don’t know whether the changes recently announced to Street Vending licenses—the topic of our first article—will improve the lives of the predominantly immigrant vendors awaiting news on their license applications. 

At the end of the month,  mainstream media companies were barred from covering the White House. While that new court battle continues, we focus on the important work of independent journalists and their newsrooms, who do not have the financial backing of corporate media giants. Our second article highlights some critical work these journalists published, revealing significant problems of this administration’s immigration enforcement tactics.

Newsletter highlights:
  1. Changes announced to Street Vendor license availability
  2. The incredible work of independent news reporting

1. New Street Vendor Licenses Bring Some Justice and Some Concerns

“We really want to unlock the economic potential of street vending in New York City, and we want to have their concerns front-of-mind as well.”—Kenny Minaya, Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services 

There are more than 23,000 street vendors in New York City, and 96% are immigrants. For decades, there has been a cap on the number of licenses available. However, after the City Council passed a package of laws on January 26, 2026, there will be 2,200 new licenses available each year through 2031.

The previous cap on general vendor licenses was 853, and the cap on food cart permits was 6,880. Also, there was a 10,000-person wait list for licenses that was closed in 2016. Many people have been waiting for years. Because of the scarcity of licenses, some vendors have been forced to pay several thousands of dollars to a license holder to “rent” a license. This is common, but not legal. Crackdowns on unlicensed vendors increased under Mayor Adams, with sweeps like “Operation Restore Roosevelt” in Queens and a ban on unlicensed vendors on the Brooklyn Bridge. The original package of reform bills was vetoed by Adams.

In March, Mayor Mamdani established the Office of Street Vendor Services as part of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. At the time, he said, “Our street vendors are not a problem to solve—they are a community to support. They feed us, employ us, and give our streets life at every hour.” The first executive director is Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez, co-director of the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center. She has been advocating for street vendors for seven years and keeping them up to date on regulations.

The package of new laws includes for training, cleanliness around carts, and proper trash disposal, as well as reducing any violations to civil charges instead of arrests on criminal charges.

There is a complicated procedure to apply for the new licenses. The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) is administering the process. People on the current wait list will receive priority and were supposed to receive letters in July/August telling them how to apply by October 29. Those not on the wait list can apply from November 2 to December 16. The new licenses will be issued after January 15, 2027.

The problem is that many long-time vendors were never able to get a spot on the current wait list because it closed in 2016. DCWP plans to provide new wait lists, but wants to ensure that people currently vending receive priority over new applicants. They have proposed vendors self-certify about the length of time they have been vending; however, it isn’t clear how that would work. Vendor leaders suggest that applicants should be required to provide at least one form of documentation to prove they have long-term vending experience. During a public hearing on August 19 about the new rules, City Councilmember Pierina Sanchez, who sponsored and fought for the new licensing bill, said:

“I am concerned that relying too heavily on self-certification of prior vending activity could allow longtime vendors to be pushed aside. Implementation must include a meaningful, fair process to verify existing vendors and ensure those who endured years of exclusion are not left behind again.”

Her suggestions for certification documents were sales tax certificates, vendor-related summonses, wholesale receipts, photos or letters from customers and local officials. In addition, she urged that the process include instructions and assistance available in languages spoken by vendors.

If the reform is successful, longtime vendors will receive licenses and be able to participate without fear in New York City’s economy.

What Can We Do?
  • Continue to patronize your favorite vendors.

2. Revealing Investigations into ICE

Almost exactly a year ago, ICE agents rappelled from Blackhawk helicopters during a raid on a building in Chicago. The story was so unbelievable that the fact-checking site Snopes had to confirm that it was real. 37 people were taken, and the government’s public statements suggested they were members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. 

Last month, the podcast “Paper Trail” released a 40-minute update on the in-depth reporting done by the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica. The reporters revealed both the human stories about the immigrants disappeared by Homeland Security as well as the lack of veracity of the government’s sweeping allegations about the raid. It also shows the significant effort that goes into both finding and reporting this information with facts.

There were no warrants. A dozen children were separated from their parents. The people taken had open asylum cases and were legally in the country. Only three people had US criminal records. Data from Interpol and Venezuelan law enforcement had no records showing any of them were in gangs. The accusation of gang membership was never raised by the federal government in their court cases. Jessica Lussenhop, host of Paper Trail, reported that, “Of all the people they arrested, there was not a single criminal charge filed. Not one. Against anybody.”

Some of those arrested left the USA through the “voluntary departure” program; others were deported. The few women with US-born children were sent home inside the US. Within a few months, an investigation was opened by the Illinois Department of Human Rights into possible illegal activity related to the raid: Was there discriminatory action taken by the landlords to use the federal government to evict illegal immigrants from their building in that urban military-style raid? 

These independent journalists and newsrooms keep us aware of the government’s storytelling of the past while tackling what is happening in the present. We recognize and applaud their work, which brings us the crucial truths about how this government attacks people and wields fear, with its tired narrative about immigrants being the source of all problems.

These independent reporters, news agencies, and photojournalists do their work in the face of increasing state violence. The newsletters JHISN shares with you would not be possible without their invaluable efforts. We rely on them, and they rely on their subscription base to keep them doing this work. We hope you can subscribe to and support them, share their reporting broadly, and join with the Freedom of the Press Foundation to Hold ICE Accountable.

What Can We Do?

 

In solidarity and with collective care,

Jackson Heights Immigrant Solidarity Network (JHISN)

 

Follow @JHSolidarity on Facebook and Twitter and share this newsletter with friends, families, neighbors, networks, and colleagues so they can subscribe and receive news from JHISN. 

JHISN Newsletter 04/08/2023

Posted on April 8, 2023 by - News, Newsletter

Dear friends,

We offer two stories this week of immigrant justice struggles here in New York City. First, we report on Mayor Adams’ betrayal of a hard-won agreement between street vendors and the City to decrease harassment and increase new permits for vendors. We then take a brief look at the brewing battle for a fair and equitable 2024 NYC budget that protects essential services for all New Yorkers.  

Finally, with grief and outrage, we mark the deaths of 39 migrants in a blaze inside a detention center just across the border from El Paso, Texas, on March 27. The fatal fire is the latest evidence of the inhumane conditions in which growing numbers of asylum seekers and refugees are being held in Mexico, under pressure from the US government to stall their entry into the US.  

Newsletter highlights:
  1. Adams administration undermines agreement with street vendors
  2. A People’s Budget for NYC fiscal year 2024

1. Street Vendors Under Attack

“We are not a public safety issue. We are vendors, and we are what makes New York City great.” –Guadalupe Sosa, longtime Harlem street vendor

Street vendors’ epic struggle for economic survival and respect on NYC streets has recently suffered a sharp setback. The bad news for vendors—almost all immigrants—began with a March 8 news conference, at which Flushing City Councilmember Sandra Ung launched a petition in English, Chinese, and Korean demanding strict enforcement of city street vending regulations. In particular, Ung called for clearing out a downtown Flushing no-vending zone approved by the Council in 2018. Standing alongside the executive director of the Flushing Business Improvement District (BID), with a group of like-minded brick-and-mortar business people, Ung characterized Flushing’s crowded street vendor scene as a threat to public safety. She described “out of control” street vending as a vector for counterfeit goods, live seafood, and illegal cannabis.

Quickly seizing the opening provided by Ung, the Adams administration suddenly transferred enforcement of street vending regulations from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) to the Sanitation Department (DSNY) and its police force, effective April 1. DSNY has been heavily criticized in the past for summarily crushing street vendor property in its garbage trucks.

Putting vendors at the mercy of the DSNY Police undermines a careful agreement reached by vendors, the City Council, and Mayor de Blasio in 2021. This plan included the formation of a Street Vendor Advisory Board with a range of stakeholders, de-emphasis on police action, and substantial increases in the number of vending permits, which have been almost impossible to get for decades. Before April 1, the spirit of this agreement had already been violated by the Adams administration, which implemented major increases in inspections and ticketing. New permits, meanwhile, have been repeatedly delayed.

Street vendor advocates responded to the latest development with shock and anger. “What message is the administration sending us? Are they considering us trash that needs to be picked up?” asked Mohamed Attia, executive director of the Street Vendor Project (SVP). Vendors complained that neither the Advisory Board nor the City Council had been consulted about Adams’ change.

Shortly after the mayor signaled his intentions, a March 16 demonstration at City Hall promoted a different path: full and immediate implementation of the 2021 street vendor agreement. This event was attended by many politicians, including Councilmembers Shekar Krishnan, Oswald Feliz, Shahana Hanif, and Tiffany Cabán. At another protest on March 22, after Adams’ plan was formalized, protesters demanded its reversal. Organized by Councilmember Sandy Nurse, chair of the Sanitation Committee, the demonstration included Alexa Aviles, Pierina Sanchez, and Queens reps Jennifer Gutierrez and Julie Won. Street vendors also have elected allies at the state level, where Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas and state Senator Jessica Ramos have been promoting matching bills that would uncap vending permits, create a fair and equitable street vending licensing program, and expunge the records of vendor violations.

The issues surrounding street vendors have exposed differences along class and ideological lines within NYC immigrant communities. While members of the City Council’s Progressive Caucus from immigrant families have strongly supported the vendors, other immigrant Democrats, like Sandra Ung and her predecessor Peter Koo, have taken the side of brick-and-mortar businesses and “law and order.” Ung, elected in 2021, is carefully navigating the political cross-currents in her district. Speaking about changes in Asian voting patterns in the city, she commented, “I recognized at the very early stage that my constituents, the community, their views are probably not going to be aligned with the progressive caucus stances.”

Immigrant street vendors have more immediate concerns. They are worried about becoming enmeshed in the legal system. And they feel that their economic survival is imperiled. As vendor Guadalupe Sosa puts it, “It’s traumatizing and heartbreaking when you spend your savings and all your time preparing your merchandise or cooking what you sell just for the health department to come alongside with NYPD to dump or confiscate your merchandise into a garbage truck.” 

WHAT CAN WE DO?

2. Immigrant Justice Groups Support a People’s Budget

“Budgets are moral documents.” –attributed to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Financial budgets are maps of action priorities, worldly statements of what will be valued and what will not. In February, Mayor Adams released a preliminary fiscal year 2024 NYC budget that defunds and devalues core city services including libraries, education, CUNY, and pre-K for 3-year-olds. Just days ago, on April 4, he ordered another round of 4% cuts for almost all city agencies—on top of two previous rounds last year of mandatory 3% cuts. One of the administration’s justifications for the new cuts is the unexpected costs of the city’s migrant crisis.

Local immigration groups including DRUM (Desis Rising Up and Moving) and Make The Road NY are fighting back with the People’s Budget #CareNotCuts. The coalition of groups supporting a People’s Budget campaign state clearly:

“These harmful cuts most deeply impact low-income New Yorkers of color who rely on the City’s public safety net, schools, and institutions. The Mayor’s budget cuts are unacceptable for a city that is home to the most billionaires in the world …. In the long run, divesting from these necessities will make NYC a less safe, stable, healthy, and desirable place to live.”

In response to the Mayor’s proposed cuts in the preliminary $102.7 billion budget, the City Council announced this week that they’ve identified $1.3 billion in taxpayer monies that the city can use to avoid additional cuts to core services. A budget agreement between the Mayor and the City Council must be reached by July 1. Join immigrant justice and local progressive groups in demanding a fair and just budget that meets the needs of all New Yorkers.

WHAT CAN WE DO?
  • Use this Action Network link to send an e-letter to Mayor Adams and the City Council in support of a People’s Budget.

 

In solidarity and with collective care,

Jackson Heights Immigrant Solidarity Network (JHISN)

Follow @JHSolidarity on Facebook and Twitter and share this newsletter with friends, families, neighbors, networks, and colleagues so they can subscribe and receive news from JHISN.