Mid Hudson Times July 17 2019

T IMES MID HUDSON Vol. 31, No. 29 3 JULY 17 - 23, 2019 3 ONE DOLLAR Mystery box Frozen Junior Page 17 Page 12 SERVING NEWBURGH AND NEW WINDSOR Protests precede ICE visit Zombie grant City receives another $200,000 to combat vacant and distressed properties Brian Wolfe Marchers make their way past the waterfront, Friday evening during a pro-immigration rally. By ILYSSA DALY As President Donald Trump declared that the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would begin a series of raids throughout the country, in order to begin the deportation process for undocumented immigrants, protests, were taking place throughout the region. The group “Nobody Leaves Mid- Hudson” has confirmed the presence of ICE in both Middletown and Newburgh on Facebook. Immigrants that are being targeted by ICE have been instructed to not open the doors to their homes, to exercise their Fifth Amendment right of remaining silent if they come into contact with ICE officers, and to not sign any documents without an attorney present. People are also encouraged to record/take pictures of ICE, as long as “ I t’s sad because we’re all human beings, and we should be treated as such.” JOE ALVAREZ We Are Newburgh they are not on property owned by the federal government. These ICE raids have been long promised by Trump, as he has been threatening deportation by these raids since his campaign. Then, last week, Trump tweeted that ICE would “begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States. They will be removed as fast as they come in.” That’s not all. The Trump administration also announced that migrants who applied for asylum in the United States would be denied if they did not apply for asylum first in any other countries on their to the U.S. In essence: migrants must be denied asylum in other countries before coming to the United States. The incoming raids sparked protests across the country. Activist groups from the around the United States began to rally in support of the undocumented families that live in their communities. The Hudson Valley is no different. There have been multiple community rallies in protest of the ICE raids and to stand in solidarity with immigrants. Continued on page 31 CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE - WWW.MHTIMESONLINE.COM New York State Attorney General Letitia James last week announced another round of grants thats address the growing statewide issue of “zombie homes” – vacant or abandoned homes that are not maintained during a prolonged foreclosure proceeding.The City of Newburgh is on this list and will receive $200,000. The funding from “Zombies 2.0” will provide 48 municipalities with a total of $9 million to address housing vacancy and blight. The grants will provide funds to municipalities to increase housing code enforcement, track and monitor vacant properties, and bolster legal enforcement capacity to ensure banks and mortgage companies comply with local and state law. “Too many communities throughout New York State are blighted by abandoned homes that decrease property values and threaten the safety of our neighborhoods,” said Letitia James. “These grants will go a long way in supporting municipalities and ensuring they have the resources they need to combat this nuisance. Revitalizing our communities is always a priority and I am proud that my office can help turn these abandoned properties into valuable assets.” The Zombies 2.0 funds will allow the City to continue to employ community- based staff who work on maintaining Continued on page 31