FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 30th, 2008

Hundreds of low-income, immigrant New Yorkers to march across Brooklyn Bridge to urge local leaders to support equal access to opportunity for all NYers

WHAT:  Make the Road NY (MRNY), NYC’s largest membership-led, community-based organization will march across the Brooklyn Bridge in support of opportunity for immigrant families.
                                  
Equal access to higher education for immigrant New Yorkers:

65,000 undocumented students, many of whom have lived the better part of their lives in this country, graduate from schools in the U.S. each year.  We will call on CUNY to respect the law by ensuring that NYC students are charged in-state tuition for college, regardless of immigration status.

A fair city budget that includes adequate support for schools and other services vital to immigrant families:

Immigrant students have the highest drop out rate in New York City.  Mayor Bloomberg should provide adequate funding for city schools and for vital legal and other services that help immigrant families. We will ask the Mayor and other City leaders to not balance the budget on the backs of immigrant families!  We will oppose budget cuts to schools or to essential immigrant legal services

Low-income, immigrant members of Make the Road New York will be sharing their stories, in their languages.  Musical and cultural performances will precede the press conference.
 
WHEN:        Thursday, May 1st
                    2:30pm, press conference

                    3pm march
                                  
WHERE:       Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn, NY

*** PHOTO OPPORTUNITY ***