New York lawmaker renews historic demand for Staten Island to secede from NYC
Misty Severi
Video Embed
The New York City immigrant crisis has renewed the calls for Staten Island to secede from New York City, prompting Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) to lead the charge earlier this week.
The crisis has resulted in more than 100,000 asylum-seekers flooding the city since the spring of 2022. The city and state have been at odds over how to handle the crisis, with New York City forced to carry much of the weight. Tens of thousands of people are housed in 194 facilities across the city. The recent opening of one shelter in Staten Island has triggered protests from residents, including Malliotakis, who do not want facilities opened in their communities.
DESANTIS SHOWCASES ABILITY TO GOVERN WITH HURRICANE RESPONSE
“What we’re simply asking is, for common sense. We want the mayor to end this. Stop doing what you’re doing and listen. Secure the damn border. We do not have a border. We do not have a nation,” Malliotakis said during a protest at a former Catholic school that was turned into an immigrant shelter. “If you’re not going to do your job, mayor, then let Staten Island secede.”
The New Yorker’s call for the island to secede is not the first time Staten Island has threatened to become an independent city. Staten Island often argues with the main city, given its largely Republican population compared to the solid blue support in the other four boroughs.
Here is a look at other moments Staten Island proposed breaking from Manhattan:
1948:
The island attempted to secede from the main city in 1948, when then-Staten Island Assemblyman Edmund Radigan introduced a bill to secede over the city’s decision to place a garbage dump in the borough, according to the New York Post.
1993:
Another effort for the island was in 1993, when 65% of islanders voted for a nonbinding resolution to secede. The reason for the secession bid was because of a festering landfill, restructuring of the New York City government that limited the borough’s influence, and a high unemployment rate of nearly 10%. This effort was blocked by the New York State Assembly, which claimed the secession request must come from the New York City mayor.
2019 and 2022:
In 2019, council members Steven Matteo and Joe Borelli introduced a plan to turn New York City into four boroughs instead of five, with Staten Island becoming an independent city. Borelli revitalized his call last year by introducing a task force to look at the “feasibility” of the borough seceding. The reasons behind these efforts are the political difference between the island and the rest of the city and rising crime rates. But these efforts have not gained any steam.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
2023:
The latest call is because of the influx of immigrants into the city, but no bill or task force has been created. However, some residents on the island have supported the call, including Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella.
“The secession part is definitely boiling as someone who was around 30 years ago and watched it and supported it then,” Fossella told the New York Post. “People just felt no one was listening and they were better off on their own. Nobody wants a migrant shelter in the middle of a neighborhood near a school. It’s not just Republicans. It’s also Democrats. If we can’t say no to this, maybe we should go off on our own.”