Catalina Cruz (politician)

Last updated

Catalina Cruz
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 39th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byAri Espinal
Personal details
Bornc. 1982/1983 (age 36–37)
Medellín, Colombia
Nationality Colombian-American
Political party Democratic
Residence Jackson Heights, Queens,
New York U.S.
ProfessionAttorney

Catalina Cruz (born c. 1982/1983) [1] [2] [3] is a Colombian-American [4] attorney and former DREAMer from the borough of Queens in New York City. [5] Cruz was elected as the Democratic candidate in the Fall 2018 election for the 39th district of the New York State Assembly, representing Corona, Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights, Queens. Cruz became the first former undocumented immigrant who identifies as a DREAMer to be elected in New York state. (Both Adriano Espaillat and Gabriela Rosa were former undocumented immigrants who served in the New York State legislature, but neither identifies as a DREAMer. [6] ) She is also the first Colombian-American in the district, [7] and only the third DREAMer to serve in an elected position in the United States. [8] Cruz has worked as an advocate for immigration rights, including as Director of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's 2016 Exploited Task Force. [9] [10]

Colombians Ethnic group

Colombians are citizens of Colombia. A Colombian can also be a person born abroad to a Colombian parent or legal guardian as well as a person who acquired Colombian citizenship. Colombia is a multiethnic society, home to people of various ethnic, religious and national origins. As a result, majority of Colombians do not equate their nationality with their ethnicity, usually embracing and espousing both simultaneously.

Americans citizens, or natives, of the United States of America

Americans are nationals and citizens of the United States of America. Although nationals and citizens make up the majority of Americans, some dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents may also claim American nationality. The United States is home to people of many different ethnic origins. As a result, American culture and law does not equate nationality with race or ethnicity, but with citizenship and permanent allegiance.

DREAM Act American legislative proposal on immigration

The DREAM Act is an American legislative proposal for a process for granting residency status to qualifying aliens who entered the United States as minors. It would first grant conditional residency and, upon meeting further qualifications, permanent residency.

Contents

Early life and education

Cruz was born in Medellín, Colombia. [11] In 1992, when she was nine years old, Cruz and her mother came to the United States under a six month tourist visa. [8] They remained in the U.S. and she was undocumented for over 10 years after her initial tourist visa expired. [12] . Cruz grew up in Brooklyn and Queens. She has five siblings, three of whom are U.S. citizens. [4] [8] [12]

Medellín Municipality in Aburrá Valley, Colombia

Medellín, officially the Municipality of Medellín, is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogota, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central region of the Andes Mountains in South America. According to the National Administrative Department of Statistics, the city has an estimated population of 2.5 million as of 2017. With its surrounding area that includes nine other cities, the metropolitan area of Medellín is the second-largest urban agglomeration in Colombia in terms of population and economy, with more than 3.7 million people.

In 2001, Cruz graduated from John Bowne High School in Flushing, Queens. [13] In 2005, Cruz received a bachelor's degree with honors in forensic psychology from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. In 2009, Cruz received a J.D. from the City University of New York School of Law. [9] [14]

John Bowne High School

John Bowne High School is a public high school located in Flushing, New York, and has an enrollment of nearly four thousand students. The school, which opened in 1964, is named after the English immigrant John Bowne. John Bowne High School offers multiple programs including a science research program, a writing program, and an agriculture program. 1940.

Flushing, Queens Neighborhoods of Queens in New York City

Flushing is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens in the United States. While much of the neighborhood is residential, Downtown Flushing, centered on the northern end of Main Street in Queens, is a large commercial and retail area and is the fourth largest central business district in New York City.

Forensic psychology is the intersection between psychology and the justice system. It involves understanding fundamental legal principles, particularly with regard to expert witness testimony and the specific content area of concern, as well as relevant jurisdictional considerations in order to be able to interact appropriately with judges, attorneys, and other legal professionals. An important aspect of forensic psychology is the ability to testify in court as an expert witness, reformulating psychological findings into the legal language of the courtroom, providing information to legal personnel in a way that can be understood. Further, in order to be a credible witness, the forensic psychologist must understand the philosophy, rules, and standards of the judicial system. Primarily, they must understand the adversarial system. There are also rules about hearsay evidence and most importantly, the exclusionary rule. Lack of a firm grasp of these procedures will result in the forensic psychologist losing credibility in the courtroom. A forensic psychologist can be trained in clinical, social, organizational, or any other branch of psychology.

Career

After law school Cruz worked as a Volunteer Assistant Attorney General for the New York State Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, where her case work included focusing on fraud related to immigration services and working on prosecution efforts. [1] [15]

Andrew Cuomo 56th Governor of New York

Andrew Mark Cuomo is an American politician, author, and lawyer serving as the 56th governor of New York since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position his late father, Mario Cuomo, held for three terms.

From 2009 to 2012, Cruz was counsel at the Goddard Riverside SRO Law Project at the Goddard Riverside Community Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. [16]

Single room occupancy low-cost housing alternative

Single room occupancy is a form of housing that is typically aimed at residents with low or minimal incomes who rent small, furnished single rooms with a bed, chair, and sometimes a small desk. SRO units are rented out as permanent residence and/or primary residence to individuals, within a multi-tenant building where tenants share a kitchen, toilets or bathrooms. SRO units range from 80 to 140 square feet. In the 2010s, some SRO units may have a small refrigerator, microwave and sink.

Upper West Side Neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City

The Upper West Side, sometimes abbreviated UWS, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, bounded by Central Park and the Hudson River, and West 59th Street and West 110th Street.

Manhattan Borough in New York City and county in New York, United States

Manhattan, often referred to locally as the City, is the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City and its economic and administrative center, cultural identifier, and historical birthplace. The borough is coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state of New York. The borough consists mostly of Manhattan Island, bounded by the Hudson, East, and Harlem rivers; several small adjacent islands; and Marble Hill, a small neighborhood now on the U.S. mainland, physically connected to the Bronx and separated from the rest of Manhattan by the Harlem River. Manhattan Island is divided into three informally bounded components, each aligned with the borough's long axis: Lower, Midtown, and Upper Manhattan.

From 2012 to 2014, Cruz was counsel to the Division of Immigrant Policies and Affairs at the New York State Department of Labor. [17]

New York State Department of Labor

The New York State Department of Labor is the department of the New York state government that enforces labor law and administers unemployment benefits.

In 2014, Cruz was counsel to the Immigration Committee for the New York City Council, where she worked to improve coverage of issue related to domestic worker trafficking. She worked on the Unaccompanied Minors Initiative and the IDNYC program. She also oversaw the Key to the City program. [17] She was in this position until 2015. [18] [19]

From 2015 to 2017, Cruz was the Director of the Office of the New York State Governor, Andrew Cuomo. [17] During this time she was the Special Assistant for Labor & Workforce. She was also the Director of the Joint Task Force on Worker Exploitation and Employee Misclassification, also known as the Exploited Workers Task Force, a working as assistant counsel in Cuomo's taskforce. [20]

In 2017, Cruz became Chief of Staff for New York City Council Member, Julissa Ferreras-Copeland until Ferreras-Copeland made the decision not to seek re-election. [21] [22]

New York Assembly

In February 2018, Cruz announced her candidacy for Francisco Moya's vacated position on the New York State Assembly's Assembly District 39. [23] The District's Democratic leadership instead unanimously selected Ari Espinal as the Democratic candidate in the April 2018 special election. [24]

Cruz then won the Democratic primary for District 39 on September 13, 2018 over Espinal, [25] and won the seat on November 6, 2018. [26]

Personal life

Cruz identifies as a DREAMer under the DREAM Act that was introduced in 2001, [9] which addresses citizenship of children brought to the United States by their parents and living as undocumented citizens. [27]

Cruz married her high school boyfriend in 2003, [8] which allowed Cruz to get her green card in 2005 [9] and become a U.S. citizen in 2009. [12] [8] Cruz' citizenship allowed her to sponsor her mother's citizenship. [12] The marriage ended in divorce. [12] Cruz is married to a New York Police Department police officer. [4] She and her husband live in Jackson Heights, Queens. [28]

Cruz has said that the attorney who did her immigration papers inspired her to go to law school and become a lawyer. [12] [14]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Attorney General Cuomo Sues To Stop Immigration Ripoff Scheme That Falsely Promised Green Cards And Citizenship" (Press release). New York State Attorney General . May 13, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Board of Directors". Cypress Hills Child Care Corporation. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  3. ↑ Matua, Angela (February 5, 2018). "Cuomo announces special election for April to fill former Queens Assemblyman Moya's seat". QNS.com.
  4. 1 2 3 "New York City Region '16: Latino 40 Under 40 Rising Stars". The Hispanic Coalition NY. 2016.
  5. ↑ Gannon, Michael (November 16, 2017). "Heartache but hope at one year of Trump". Queens Chronicle .
  6. ↑ Lewis, Rebecca C. (October 22, 2018). "What it means to be a 'Dreamer'". City & State.
  7. ↑ "Jackson Heights' Catalina Cruz makes history by being first DREAMer elected to NY State Senate - QNS.com". QNS.com. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Morris, Alex (March 19, 2018). "Meet Catalina Cruz, the Queens Dreamer Running for Office". The Cut. New York.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Clifford, Christen (July 18, 2018). "This Woman Plans to Be One of the First 'Dreamers' in Office". Broadly. Vice Media.
  10. ↑ "Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's Task Force to Combat Worker Exploitation: 2016 Report" (PDF). State of New York . 2016.
  11. ↑ Corzo V., Álvaro (March 7, 2018). "La "soñadora" colombiana que hace historia en la política de Nueva York". El Espectador (in Spanish).
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nagler, Betsy; Cruz, Catalina (June 2018). "Episode 17 - Catalina Cruz: A Dreamer in Queens" (Audio podcast interview). Mobilize Here.
  13. ↑ Cruz, Catalina (May 31, 2018). "Catalina Cruz: A Promise to Keep" (Video). Catalina Cruz NY. At 0:22: John Bowne High School diploma, as Catalina Bermudez
  14. 1 2 Ramos, Juanita (February 6, 2018). "La "Dreamer" colombiana que se abre camino político en Nueva York". El Borde (in Spanish).
  15. ↑ Semple, Kirk; Manrique, Jenny (May 28, 2009). "Cuomo Widens a Probe Into Immigration Fraud". The New York Times .
  16. ↑ "President: Catalina Cruz, Esq". Latino Lawyers Association of Queens County. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  17. 1 2 3 "Governor Cuomo Announces Administration Appointments" (press release). Governor Andrew M. Cuomo . September 24, 2015.
  18. ↑ Ramírez, David (February 28, 2018). "Dreamer hispana busca puesto estatal en NY". El Diario NY (in Spanish).
  19. ↑ Jordan, Brandon (February 23, 2018). "Catalina Cruz Places Community First In State Assembly Run". Queens County Politics.
  20. ↑ Najarro, Ileana (July 16, 2015). "Cuomo Task Force to Investigate Worker Exploitation in Many Industries". The New York Times .
  21. ↑ Parry, Bill (March 23, 2017). "CB4 delays decision on 111th Street safety improvements". TimesLedger .
  22. ↑ Hallum, Mark (March 16, 2018). "Activists rejoice as Community Board 4 votes against proposal for Target, housing structure in Elmhurst". TimesLedger .
  23. ↑ Karim, Meeran; Segers, Grace; Thomas, Tiffany S. (February 6, 2018). "Who's vying for the 11 vacant state legislative seats?". City & State .
  24. ↑ Carrera, Jonelle (February 27, 2018). "Voters in Queens Assembly District Could See a Rarity in September: A Contested Race!". City Limits .
  25. ↑ Lewis, Rebecca C. (September 13, 2018). "IDC and other New York legislative 2018 primary results". City & State New York. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  26. ↑ Acevedo, Nicole; Leanos, Jr., Reynaldo (November 7, 2018). "Catalina Cruz becomes first former 'Dreamer' elected to New York state Assembly". NBCNews . Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  27. ↑ Marínez, David (January 18, 2018). "La Gran Manzana se moviliza para exigir que se mantenga DACA". El Diario NY (in Spanish).
  28. ↑ "About Catalina – Catalina Cruz". Cruz for New York. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
Political offices
Preceded by
Aridia Espinal 		New York Assembly, 39th District
2019–present		Incumbent
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