NEW YORK, NY – FWD.us New York State Manager Eddie A. Taveras issued the following statement today as the New York State Legislative session opened:

“Over the past six years, FWD.us has been working to bring together New York business leaders, community members and legislators to advocate for smart reforms to our nation’s broken immigration system. We’re proud of the hard-fought progress we made last year on behalf of the local immigrant community, including helping to pass the The Senator José Peralta New York State DREAM Act and the Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act, which will keep families together and expand educational and economic opportunities for immigrants across the state.

“This year, we aim to help millions more New Yorkers realize their full potential by driving more change at the local level. Our state-based work will support public safety measures such as ensuring eligible New Yorkers can access driver’s licenses, as well as promoting awareness about harmful anti-immigrant legislation which hurts our economy and communities.

“Ultimately, our North Star goal remains comprehensive immigration reform, including expanding existing legal immigration channels and providing an earned path to citizenship for undocumented people, including for DACA recipients and people with Temporary Protected Status. We believe our work at the state level will help us to better achieve comprehensive reform, and we will continue to demand the immigration changes that our country deserves. We look forward to working with Governor Cuomo and state lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to deliver more opportunity and justice for New York’s families.”