Meet Your Mayor
Answer the questions below to see which candidates for NYC mayor agree with you most
Welcome to Meet Your Mayor, which shows you how the candidates’ stands fit with your take on the issues that matter most to New Yorkers.
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Answer the following four questions on immigration to see which candidates for mayor most closely match the future you want to see for New York City.
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A bill pending in the City Council would change New York City’s charter to allow “lawful permanent residents” 18 and over to vote in local elections.
Question 1 of 4
"Say it loud and say it clear: Immigrants are welcome here. I'm proud to support expanded voting rights in municipal elections for lawful permanent residents of our city."
from Twitter, March 10, 2021
Citing his father as an example, Donovan agrees with allowing noncitizen New York City residents to vote in municipal elections.
from Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats questionnaire, March 10, 2021
Stringer said he supports expanding voting rights in municipal elections to all New Yorkers with green cards or work authorizations.
“YES. All residents of New York City should have the right to vote. Just as non-citizens were able to vote in school board elections of the past, they should be able to vote in municipal elections of the future.”
"The vast majority of non citizens are also taxpayers. They contribute to our city's income revenue, they also use our city services. They should have a say in who gets to represent them."
from THE CITY Interview, April 30, 2021
“Yes! Nearly one million New Yorkers are unable to vote, despite paying taxes and being impacted by the daily decisions of the city government. Especially in a city like ours, where we know our excluded workers are often our essential workers, they deserve a voice in the system.”
"I do believe that it's important for people to come here become a citizen and then vote."
from THE CITY Interview, April 29, 2021
“I do not support the current proposed legislation for allowing non-citizens voting powers in municipal races.”
from City Limits, March 10, 2021
Andrew Yang, Fernando Mateo, Isaac Wright Jr.
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for cash assistance under public benefit programs accessed via the city Human Resources Administration, though their children with a different immigration status may be.
Question 2 of 4
Chang noted in addition to government cash assistance, enabling mutual-aid or a "super network of mutual aid socities" to distribute such funds would be effective. "There are going to be legal constraints on what the government can do. But there are many fewer on private individuals."
from THE CITY Interview, April 30, 2021
"Under my Equity Bonds program, any child born into poverty, regardless of immigration status, can go to school knowing that ~$50,000 is waiting for them before entering the workforce or pursuing higher education."
Garcia supports providing residents with cash assistance regardless of immigration status.
from City & State NY/Documented, March 12, 2021
“19% of NYC's frontline workers are non-citizens or undocumented -- risking their lives while being excluded from life-saving state and federal support. As Mayor, I'll fight to ensure we #FundExcludedWorkers.”
from Twitter, March 5, 2021
“Remember Census 2020. Remember when we asked every New Yorker — whether they had documentation or not — to put their names on the line.… We asked them to count because that would bring more money to us.... And now the question is, do they count? Because we had a historic census count to bring more federal dollars to the state.”
from Twitter, March 24, 2021
"The pandemic exposed how many New Yorkers live on the edge of ruin... Getting more money directly into people’s pockets was once radical and is now mainstream."
from USA TODAY, March 3, 2021
Foldenauer said the aid should include cash assistance as well as grocery hand-outs or hot meals. "We do need to make sure we don't leave our undocumented immigrants behind."
from THE CITY Interview, April 29, 2021
"We can create other forms of funding for undocumented immigrants through specific programs."
from THE CITY Interview, May 3, 2021
Eric Adams, Fernando Mateo, Isaac Wright Jr.
The City Council currently funds attorneys for immigrants held in detention who are facing deportation, via the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project. But other immigrants facing deportation proceedings do not have access to city-funded free legal counsel.
Question 3 of 4
Adams supports expanding funding for immigration legal services, including the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project.
from City & State NY/Documented, April 12, 2021
"If we are truly in a sanctuary city, and then we need to prevent law-abiding immigrants from being deported, period. This is not about paying for immigration lawyers. This is about preventing deportation."
from THE CITY Interview, April 30, 2021
Donovan's campaign says he supports more resources and funding for legal services to help immigrants.
from City & State NY/Documented, April 12, 2021
Garcia is in favor of contributing to the New York Immigrant Freedom Fund, which pays immigration bonds for detainees in need.
from City & State NY/Documented, April 12, 2021
Morales supports increased funding for the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project in order to provide attorneys for non-detained immigrants.
from City & State New York and Documented, April 12, 2021
“I’m calling for the City to protect these New Yorkers and eliminate the carve-out that limits access to immigrant legal services because if we believe in due process for all people, we can’t be in the business of choosing who deserves a truly fair day in court.”
from City Comptroller news release, Feb. 21, 2019
Wiley wants to back the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project, the public defender system for NYC immigrants in detention facing deportation.
from City & State NY/Documented, April 12, 2021
Yang wrote on his campaign website that he supports expanding access to and funding for the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project and other similar immigration legal services.
from Campaign website
"The right to counsel is an important thing. It's merely a question of cost."
from THE CITY Interview, April 29, 2021
Fernando Mateo, Isaac Wright Jr.
NYC’s current mayor sought to help property owners bring some basement apartments up to code or convert unused spaces, potentially shoring up a source of housing widely relied on by immigrants. Those efforts have stalled during the pandemic.
Question 4 of 4
“Thousands of New Yorkers live in SROs and basement apartments, or in single family zones where leasing accessory units is illegal. By allowing for all of these units to be built or legally used, we can add hundreds of thousands of affordable apartments.”
from Twitter, May 28, 2021
"We should definitely do this while we preserve safety."
from THE CITY Interview, April 30, 2021
Foldenauer said more housing is needed but dwellings must comply with zoning restrictions. "People have bought homes on residential streets, in reliance on being protected by the zoning laws. So if all of a sudden, all their neighbors are allowed to convert into apartments, then it changes the character of the neighborhood."
from THE CITY Interview, April 29, 2021
“We also need to be creative, you know, end the zoning that blocks us from really creating more density, legalize basement apartments make it so that we can have single room occupancy again in a way that's safe."
from Open New York interview, Dec. 29, 2020
“My plan will also make it easier for homeowners to earn income from the property by converting existing spaces into new rental apartments, that means updating our zoning rules to allow for basement and garage apartments and other necessary dwelling.”
from McGuire NYC Housing Plan, April 1, 2021
“There is a lot of work to be done quickly with the Department of City Planning: making better use of existing housing infrastructure by getting rid of single-family zoning; ensuring that accessory dwelling and basement units are legal, safe and affordable.”
from 2021 VOCAL-NY Questionnaire Responses Homelessness and Housing
Stringer says he intends to help property owners to transform their basement and garage spaces to rental apartments.
from "Scott Stringer’s Mayoral Plans", Feb. 25, 2021
Yang's campaign website says he will pick up where the current mayor left off with a basement apartment pilot program, as well as support changes in state law and city code to promote more such units.
from Campaign website
No candidates selected this answer
Fernando Mateo, Isaac Wright Jr.
Reporting by Ann Choi and Mónica Cordero, development by Will Welch, editing by Alyssa Katz. Candidate images from Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY, Alejandro Durán/THE CITY, Shutterstock and campaign websites.