Saturday, June 14, 2025

Weekly News from State Senator Gustavo Rivera!


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SENATOR RIVERA PASSES SEVERAL BILLSIN THE LAST WEEK OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Early this morning, the Senate marked the final day of the 2025 legislative session. In the last week, several of Senator Rivera's bills passed the Senate floor securing important advances in public health, consumer protection, community empowerment, and criminal justice and pension reform. Here are some of the highlights:


  • S.1224: Guarantees that school-based health centers are permanently carved out from Medicaid managed care and fiscally stable.


  • S.428Requires chain restaurants to label menu items that have a high sodium content.


  • S.1634Requires both public and private insurers to increase their spending on primary care until it reaches at least 12.5% of their total healthcare spending. 


  • S.2329: Allow community participation during the license renewal or transfer process for motor vehicle repair shops.


  • S.3581Assist in identifying lead service lines across New York, so that they can be replaced.


  • S.614Enroll incarcerated individuals and those leaving incarceration in medical assistance benefits to ensure successful social reintegration.


For more information about Senator Rivera's bills, check this post.

Important reminderCommunity leaders, organizations and schools are encouraged to complete a form (click here) to request palm cards, or to call our district office at 718-933-2034.

"Happy Father’s Day to all the incredible dads! Today, we honor the strength, guidance, and unconditional love that fathers bring to our families and communities. Your dedication shapes generations!"

Office of the New York State Comptroller DiNapoli Releases Reports on City and State Budgets

 

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New York State Comptroller Thomas P DiNapoli

Capitol and NYC skyline with dollar sign arrow going across photos.

Comptroller DiNapoli Releases Analysis of Enacted State Budget

The Enacted Budget for State Fiscal Year 2025-26 is projected to total $254 billion, a 5.2% increase in spending at a time when new federal actions on funding and policy may change the relationship between the federal government and states. Actions that have already occurred at the federal level, paired with potential Congressional action, may mean that in the upcoming months New York will see challenges to the recently Enacted State Budget, according to a report by Comptroller DiNapoli.

“The stakes are high for New York if the cuts being discussed in Washington occur,” DiNapoli said. “The state needs to do what it can to stabilize finances, build reserve funds, focus on efficient service delivery and develop a strategy for how to contend with federal changes. The final budget had some measures built into help navigate this uncertainty, but the state needs to do what it can to prepare in a transparent manner before our options are even more limited.”

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NYC’s Finances Benefiting From Better Than Expected Revenues

Stronger than anticipated revenues and lower costs for asylum seekers will help New York City balance its $118 billion fiscal year 2026 budget, according to a report by Comptroller DiNapoli. However, potential fiscal challenges are emerging, including continued uncertainty regarding federal policy and economic conditions, and fiscal risks from anticipated federal budget cuts. These challenges could limit the city’s potential revenue upside and make it harder to continue to fund recent spending additions for discretionary programs and maintain services.

“New York City’s fiscal outlook has improved since January as revenues have surpassed the city’s expectations, supported by the financial industry’s strong performance,” DiNapoli said. “But the economic conditions that drove higher revenues may be softening and local fiscal pressures could be exacerbated by decisions made at the federal and state levels. Boosting budget contingencies and setting money aside in its Rainy Day Fund would help the city manage fiscal challenges that may arise and help mitigate the impact to public services.”

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Physical and Financial Conditions at Selected Mitchell-Lama Developments in New York City (Follow-Up)

Comptroller DiNapoli released a follow-up report on the physical and financial conditions of selected Mitchell-Lama developments in New York City. This report assesses the extent to which previous recommendations to protect residents' health and safety and ensure proper use of funds have been implemented.

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Livingston County Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing Over $25,000

Comptroller DiNapoli, Livingston County District Attorney Ashley Williams and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced that a Livingston County woman pleaded guilty to stealing more than $25,000 in New York state pension payments made to her deceased mother.

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Comptroller DiNapoli celebrating the Puerto Rican Day Parade in NYC.

Law Enforcement Offers $10,000 Reward for Information Leading to the Arrest of 4 Dangerous Criminal Illegal Aliens who Escaped from Delaney Hall Detention Facility

 

Call 911 or 866-DHS-2-ICE with any information that may lead to locating these dangerous criminal illegal aliens

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the four criminal illegal aliens who escaped from Delaney Hall Detention Facility in New Jersey. The safety of Americans and the Newark community is the DHS’ top priority.

“DHS has become aware of four detainees at the privately held Delaney Hall Detention Facility escaping. Additional law enforcement partners have been brought in to find these escapees and a BOLO has been disseminated,” said a Senior DHS Official. We encourage the public to call 911 or the ICE Tip Line: 866-DHS-2-ICE if they have information that may lead to the locating of these individuals. DHS and the FBI are offering a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest of these public safety threats.”

On June 12, four criminal illegal aliens breached security at Delaney Hall. Contrary to current reporting, there has been no widespread unrest at the Delaney Hall Detention facility. This privately held facility remains dedicated to providing high-quality services, including include around-the-clock access to medical care, in-person and virtual legal and family visitation, general and legal library access, translation services, dietician-approved meals, religious and specialty diets, recreational amenities, and opportunities to practice their religious beliefs.

The four criminal illegal aliens currently evading federal law enforcement are public safety threats.

Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes is an illegal alien from Honduras who illegally entered the U.S. in 2021 under the Biden administration. On May 3, 2025, the Wayne Township, New Jersey Police Department arrested Bautista for aggravated assault, attempt to cause bodily injury, terroristic threats, and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes.

Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes

Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez is an illegal alien from Honduras who illegally entered the U.S. as a minor in 2019. On October 3, 2024, the New Jersey Passaic Police Department arrested Sandoval for unlawful possession of a handgun. He was arrested again on February 15, 2025, by the Passaic Police Department for aggravated assault.

Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez

Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada is an illegal alien from Colombia who illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 under the Biden administration. On May 15, 2025, the New Jersey Hammonton Police Department arrested Castaneda for burglary, theft, and conspiracy to commit burglary.

Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada

Andres Pineda-Mogollon is an illegal alien from Colombia who overstayed a tourist visa and entered the U.S. in 2023 under the Biden administration. On April 25, 2025, the New York City Police Department arrested Pineda for petit larceny. On May 21, 2025, the Union, New Jersey Police Department arrested Pineda for residential burglary, conspiracy residential burglary, and possession of burglary tools.

Andres Pineda-Mogollon

Anonymous tips may be reported on the ICE Tip Form and via the toll-free ICE tip line, (866) 347-2423.

ICE’s 24-hour tip line gives Americans the ability to report suspicious criminal activity by illegal aliens including terrorist activity, gang related crimes, and suspected sex trafficking. The tip line is manned by highly trained specialists who take reports from both the public and law enforcement agencies on the more than 400 laws enforced by ICE. Secretary Noem will be providing more resources. 

Rwandan Immigrant Arrested for Concealing Role as Perpetrator of Genocide After Fraudulently Entering the United States

 

A federal grand jury in Ohio has returned a three-count indictment unsealed charging Rwandan national Vincent Nzigiyimfura, also known as Vincent Mfura, 65, of Dayton, Ohio with lying on his U.S. immigration and naturalization applications. Specifically, the indictment alleges that he concealed his role as a perpetrator of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, among other misrepresentations. Nzigiyimfura was arrested Wednesday in Dayton and made his initial appearance yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

According to the indictment, Nzigiyimfura participated in the genocide that took place between April and July 1994, when members of Rwanda’s majority Hutu population killed hundreds of thousands of the country’s minority Tutsi ethnic group in an attempt to eradicate the ethnic group. An estimated 500,000 to 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed during the three-month genocide. Nzigiyimfura, a Rwandan businessman and butcher, was allegedly a leader and organizer of the genocide against Tutsis in the area in and around Gihisi and Nyanza. Nzigiyimfura allegedly provided weapons, transportation, and material inducements to other Hutus and directed them to search for and apprehend people to be killed based on their status as Tutsis. He allegedly set up roadblocks to detain and kill Tutsis, using his personal vehicle to transport materials to build the roadblocks. According to the indictment, Nzigiyimfura devised a scheme to trick Tutsis in hiding to believe that the killings had stopped only to have them rounded up and murdered. 

“As alleged, Vincent Nzigiyimfura directed and encouraged murders during the genocide in Rwanda and then lied to U.S. authorities to start a new life in this country,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The United States is not a safe haven for human rights violators. Those, like the defendant, who commit immigration fraud to hide their violent pasts will be charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Mr. Galeotti thanked the prosecutors from the Criminal Division's Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP), agents from HSI Cincinnati and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio for their work in bringing this important prosecution.

“The indictment alleges this defendant facilitated the killings of Tutsis during the Rwandan genocide and then lied about it on immigration applications in the United States,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kelly A. Norris for the Southern District of Ohio. “This egregious conduct will not be tolerated.”

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) is committed to pursuing justice for victims of genocide by ensuring that those who committed atrocities in foreign lands cannot hide in Ohio or any other community in the United States,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey of ICE HSI Detroit. “No one wants a war criminal as their neighbor and these allegations paint a grim picture of the horror Nzigiyimfura inflicted on the Tutsi people. His indictment and arrest is a step toward justice for those victims. ”

When the genocide ended in 1994, as alleged, Nzigiyimfura fled Rwanda and later lived in Malawi. While living in Malawi in 2008 to 2009, Nzigiyimfura allegedly submitted materially misleading applications for an immigrant visa and alien registration, including by falsely representing that he was not an alien who had engaged in genocide. In the presence of a U. S. Consular Officer, Nzigiyimfura affirmed he understood that any willfully false or misleading statement or willful concealment of material facts could subject him to criminal prosecution. Additionally, according to the indictment, Nzigiyimfura submitted an affidavit in which he misleadingly claimed he “left Rwanda in 1994 due to the Genocide,” when in fact, he fled the country because of his participation in the persecution and massacre of Tutsis. His alleged misrepresentations and omissions yielded an immigrant visa to enter the United States in 2009.

Five years later, Nzigiyimfura submitted an application to naturalize as a U. S. citizen. Here, too, according to the indictment, he knowingly made false statements and omitted material facts, including claiming he had never persecuted any person, never committed a crime or offense, and never lied to any U. S. Government official to gain entry to the United States. In a November 2014 interview with a U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer, Nzigiyimfura verbally reaffirmed these false statements, as well as others, according to the indictment. His application for naturalization has not been granted. Nzigiyimfura has lived in the United States since 2009.

In 2018, according to the indictment, Nzigiyimfura submitted an application and supporting documentation for a replacement Permanent Resident Card (green card) that was due to expire in 2019 and obtained a new fraudulently procured green card with an expiration date in 2029. On July 27, 2021, Nzigiyimfura allegedly used his fraudulently procured replacement green card in connection with an application for an Ohio driver’s license.

Nzigiyimfura is charged with one count of visa fraud and two counts of attempted naturalization fraud. If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U. S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

HSI Cincinnati is investigating the case, with assistance from the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC). Established in 2009, the HRVWCC furthers the government’s efforts to identify, locate, and prosecute human rights abusers in the United States, including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation, and the use or recruitment of child soldiers. 

Trial Attorney Brian Morgan of the Criminal Division’s HRSP and Assistant U. S. Attorney Rob Painter of the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case, with assistance from HRSP Historian/Analyst Dr. Christopher Hayden and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

Members of the public who have information about former human rights violators in the United States are urged to contact U. S. law enforcement through the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email HRV. ICE@ice. dhs. gov or complete its online tip form at www. ice. gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips. asp

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

The Seal of New York State Governor Kathy Hochul Re: Israel and Iran

The Seal of New York State Governor Kathy Hochul

“My Administration has been closely monitoring the situation in Israel and Iran, and I received a security and intelligence briefing from my public safety team earlier today. I have also spoken to Israel's Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis to express my concern for the security of his nation. I pray for the safety and well being of all the people in harm's way in the region from the attacks.

“Many New Yorkers have close family and community ties to this region, and I recognize this is a time of fear and uncertainty. While there are no credible threats to New York at this time, I have nonetheless directed the New York State Police and other State personnel to continue providing security support at sensitive sites -- particularly Jewish and Muslim houses of worship and community centers. This heightened state of alert will continue for the foreseeable future, and I will continue to do everything in my power to keep New Yorkers safe.”

 

Attorney General James Announces Election Protection Hotline Ahead of June Primary Election

 

Voters Experiencing Problems Can Consult Frequently Asked Questions, Call (866) 390-2992, or Request Assistance Online 

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) will make its Election Protection Hotline available for the June 24, 2025 primary election and during the early voting period, which runs from Saturday, June 14 through Sunday, June 22. The hotline will be available to troubleshoot and resolve a range of issues encountered by voters, including issues voting by absentee ballot, early mail ballot, or in-person at their polling place. A guide addressing frequently asked questions is also currently available to assist voters with, among other things, the absentee and early mail ballot process and voter registration issues.

“New Yorkers deserve to feel safe about casting their ballots when they head to the polls for this month’s primary,” said Attorney General James. “Free and fair elections are foundational to our democracy. Whether you choose to vote absentee, during early voting, or on election day, my office’s Election Protection Hotline is here to help voters every step of the way.”

New Yorkers are protected from voter intimidation, deception, suppression, and obstruction under state and federal law. Attorney General James urges voters experiencing election-related problems while voting to call the OAG hotline at (866) 390-2992 or submit a complaint online to request assistance. The telephone hotline will be open between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. during early voting (Saturday, June 14 through Sunday, June 22), and between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, June 24. The hotline will also be available on the day before and after Election Day, Monday, June 23 and Wednesday, June 25, between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Written requests for assistance may be submitted at any time through the online complaint form. Hotline calls and written requests for assistance are processed by OAG attorneys and staff.

The OAG has operated its Election Protection Hotline since November 2012. During previous elections, OAG fielded hundreds — and sometimes thousands — of complaints from voters across the state and worked with local election officials and others to address issues. The OAG has also taken legal action to protect against voter registration purges and to ensure that voters have adequate and equitable access to vote early as required by law.

All registered voters have the right to accessible elections. On Election Day, polls are required to be continuously open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and if voters are in line before closing, they must be allowed to vote. In addition, all registered voters have the right to vote free from coercion or intimidation, whether by election officials or any other person.

The OAG will receive and respond to election complaints relating to any of the statutes that OAG enforces, including the New York Voting Rights Act, which upholds fair, open, and accessible elections.