Amidst a nationwide debate about a policy on immigration, President Donald Trump’s recently blocked travel ban on seven predominantly Muslim nations has captured the interest of top elected officials in Westchester.
On Feb. 10, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican, appeared before a crowd of nearly 200 Muslim-Americans at the Andalusia School in Yonkers to proclaim his support for those of the religious group living in the county.
“I stand here beside you today and every day to reaffirm our friendship, to let you know that as the county’s top elected official, that not only are you welcome here, but that the contributions of our Muslim-American community are essential to us,” said Astorino, whose is up for re-election this year and unofficially has said he plans to seek a third term in office.
As the county executive since 2010, Astorino has established a relationship with the school and mosque over the past six years. In 2013, he appointed Sonia Chinn, a former teacher at the Andalusia School, as a member of the county Human Rights Commission, the first Muslim to be appointed to the commission since it was established in 1999.
Shortly after Chinn’s departure after relocating to Texas for work, Astorino appointed another Muslim-American to the post, naming Ghada Salim to the commission in 2015.
According to 2014 numbers provided by the county Board of Legislators, there are roughly 14,000 Muslims living in Westchester, comprising 1.4 percent of the county’s total population.
Astorino, who addressed the worshipers at the mosque as his friends, said that while he supports “careful screening” of those who seek to enter the country, he does not believe the controversial ban targets a specific religion. “Please know, and make no mistake about it, I would never support a religious test on who comes into our country,” he said.
However, the travel ban, which is currently on hold because of a decision by the federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, has other elected officials in the county, specifically Democrats, worried about Astorino’s support for the ban and that it does in fact unfairly target Muslims. The ban placed restrictions on individuals entering the country from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Phil Oliva, a spokesman for Astorino, confirmed that the county executive does support a temporary suspension on accepting refugees into the country.
For that reason, county Legislator Catherine Parker, a Rye Democrat, said Astorino is part of the problem associated with the travel ban. “It doesn’t support the values of Westchester residents,” she said. ‘It’s unfortunate that [Astorino] is directly aligned with what’s in direct opposition to our residents.”
Astorino’s speech follows another debate related to immigration, as the county Legislature’s Democratic Caucus recently proposed an Immigration Protection Act, which was referred to the committees on Budget and Appropriations, Legislation, and Public Safety and Social Services on Feb. 13.
That legislation, which is sponsored by Majority Leader Catherine Borgia, an Ossining Democrat, aims to stem the tide of recent efforts by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, and Customs and Border Protection, CBP, to detain and transfer an individual for immigration and investigation purposes.
While as many as 680 were arrested in the first week of February throughout Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, San Antonio, and New York City areas by raids conducted by ICE agents, according to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, the legislation seeks to codify language to prevent Westchester County from aiding the federal government in investigations made on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, and national origin.
“With all the news reports of immigration raids, even in New York [state], this act is a step we must take to follow the law and make sure our county does not practice any type of discrimination,” Borgia said.
This also comes as a backdrop for an upcoming county executive race that will likely highlight treatment of the Muslim community as one of the campaign’s talking points.
Last month, county Legislator Ken Jenkins, a Yonkers Democrat, called on Astorino to denounce the president’s travel ban, labeling it un-American. “There is no place for this; not here, not in Westchester,” said Jenkins, the lone Democrat to have announced that he will run for county executive this year. “The county executive needs to denounce these actions that have no place in Westchester County.”
