Sharon Bowen becomes first black woman to chair New York Stock Exchange board

Sharon Bowen was named Monday as chair of the New York Stock Exchange, its parent company announced, becoming the first Black woman to hold the role at the Wall Street fixture.

Bowen, who is already a member of the boards of ICE and the NYSE, served from 2014 to 2017 as a commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission overseeing futures markets.

In 2010, then-president Barack Obama named her to a vice-chair of the body regulating US broker-dealers, the Securities Investor Protection Corporation.

Bowen also worked for three decades as a partner and associate in law firms, specializing in business law.

With 2,400 listed companies and a combined capitalization of $36 trillion, the NYSE, located in New York’s Lower Manhattan business district, bills itself as the world’s largest stock exchange.

NEWARK MAYOR BARAKA DEFENDS SANCTUARY CITIES

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka released the following statement defending the city’s sanctuary policies for undocumented immigrants, one day after the Trump administration announced federal agents who patrol the U.S. border will be deployed to cities across the country where local jurisdictions are hindering stepped up immigration enforcement.

Statement by Mayor Ras J. Baraka:

“Nearly three years ago, I signed a 10-page executive order to protect undocumented people from aggressive government intervention in their lives.

“I knew then that the fight to protect these people’s basic human rights was not over. Now, U.S. Attorney General William Barr has promised a ‘significant escalation’ in the Trump Administration’s crack down on sanctuary cities.

“The language used by the Attorney General is divisive. It provokes fear and incites hatred, the very two destructive emotions we want to negate in our approach to ‘A Fair and Welcoming City,” the name of my executive order.

“In announcing the lawsuit against New Jersey, Attorney General Barr accused us of ‘jeopardizing the public’s safety by putting the interest of criminal aliens before those of law-abiding citizens.’

“This is simply not true. There is absolutely no sanctuary in this city for dangerous criminals, for that would be a betrayal of my personal values and the promise I made to all residents to keep Newark a safer city by building trust in our police.

“We vigorously prosecute those undocumented people arrested for a multitude of violent, assaultive and exploitive crimes, including domestic violence, and notify federal immigration officials.

“When Attorney General Barr says sanctuary is ‘misguided ideology triumphing over common sense law enforcement,’ he undermines the common decency aspects of our policy.

“First, in terms of law enforcement, our policy protects undocumented victims. This population is prey for criminals and we want them to feel safe and comfortable in the care of our police. Our efforts to have good community relations and build trust with all our residents, must include the undocumented population, otherwise it is incomplete.

“The Trump Administration plan to bolster ICE enforcement forces with tactical units will undermine our efforts to build community trust. It will recall painful images of the last time federal troops patrolled our town.

“Equally, every other aspect of our policy gives undocumented people the dignity of recognition. We give them ID cards so they can work, open bank accounts, obtain building permits or start businesses and build their community, all hallmarks of the immigrant American Dream.

“We offer them City services to ensure their health and welfare, or that their homes are up to code. The executive order protects them from any City government or police discrimination or profiling.

“We have pulled together a conglomerate of government officials, public and charter school educators, clergy, and business and university leaders to embrace the undocumented population and integrate them in our community.

“This is nothing new for Newark. Being ‘A Fair and Welcoming City’ is an intrinsic part of our history, from the earliest German and Irish immigrants, to the Italians and Jewish people, and the largest group of all, the African-American migrants from the South.

“A ‘Fair and Welcoming City’ is what we are and have always been. And we will fight to keep it that way.”

Chicago mayor: City won't cooperate over reported ICE raids

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) said she would take “concrete steps” to support immigrant communities after reports emerged that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would begin raids this weekend to round up families who have received deportation orders.

Lightfoot said in a statement Friday that she directed Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson to terminate ICE’s access to the Chicago Police Department’s databases related to immigration enforcement activities.

“I have also personally spoken with ICE leadership in Chicago and voiced my strong objection to any such raids,” Lightfoot tweeted.

“Chicago will always be a welcoming city and a champion for the rights of our immigrant and refugee communities, and I encourage any resident in need of legal aid to contact the National Immigrant Justice Center.”

The ICE operation set to begin Sunday is reportedly expected to target up to 2,000 families facing deportation orders in up to 10 cities with large immigrant communities, including Houston, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Black Mayors Vow “To Protect Immigrants”

Toni Harp, the president of the African-American Mayors Association — made the following statement vowing to protect immigrants on behalf of “more than 500” black mayors across the country:

“This nation has always been a melting pot of people from different countries, different ethnicities and different races. Rather than celebrating this diversity, the current Administration continues to attack immigrants and people of color, many of whom have spent their entire lives in the U.S. and do not know another home. Nearly 44 million immigrants currently reside in the U.S. Over 20 million of them are naturalized citizens. Thirty six percent of U.S.-born children of immigrants are college graduates— 5 percent higher than the national average —and 64 percent are homeowners, which is on par with the national average. Immigrants are our neighbors, colleagues and friends and are productive members of our society.

“Mayors have an obligation to defend the cities they are elected to serve, and protect society’s most vulnerable citizens. The rhetoric coming out of the White House is disheartening and offensive to the hardworking immigrants living and working legally across the country. The cities we represent are not ridden with gangs, cartels and criminals as this Administration claims. In fact, a 2017 Cato Institute study found that the 2014 incarceration rate for 18 to 54 year-old immigrants — both authorized and unauthorized — was considerably lower than that of the U.S.-born population.

“It’s time this Administration holds itself to a higher standard. This is not a country of racists and bigots. We are a country that proudly houses a diverse population, each with a unique background and story. It is un-American to attack immigrants and the people seeking to protect them. We stand with the hundreds of mayors who want their cities to remain safe places for immigrants to call home. Our communities will continue to safeguard American values, and remain welcoming places for all, for the sake of our security and our national character.”