Protesting migrants on Staten Island.

0:00 Speaker 1 So many things happening in New York this week. With us today this Sunday morning is Vito for Sella, the Borough President of Staten Island, and it’s been, uh, things have been happening in Staten Island, trying to protect our citizens.

0:16 Vito for Sella tell us what’s going on.

0:19 Speaker 2 Well, it’s great to be with you as always, John, and I hope you had a great birthday week. You deserve it more than anybody. And unfortunately this week is just we’re seeing the migrant crisis continue to spin out of control. I think more and more people are recognizing what we said about a year ago that when you

0:41 open the door to New York City and say we’re going to give you free hotels and free meals and everything else associated with that, that sooner or later you’re going to hit a break point, and that the policy itself, this concept of a right to shelter for anybody who wants to come to the city, can be accommodated and

0:59 be up for nothing. That policy, by definition, would be unsustainable. And that’s what we’re seeing. Neighborhood after neighborhood people are recognizing that this is a big problem and at a crisis, if you will, because there is no end in sight.

1:17 And we have been fighting a good fight on Staten Island in the area the Aracars section, converting an old former Old Girls Catholic school to a migrant shelter, and it’s right across the street from another old Girls Catholic school, as well as two elementary schools, and not to mention, in the heart of a beautiful residential neighborhood. And all

1:37 of that. What it be is adding up is it’s a bad thing for New York City and could get worse, and it may get worse, and that’s not what we should be doing. We should be focusing on improving the quality of life for tax payers, making things better, new schools, new parks, you know, lower taxes when possible. And instead

1:56 we’re absorbed by this this crisis. And I just hope that everybody sits around one table and recognizes that this thing has to stop, because it’s only getting worse before it gets better.

2:09 Speaker 1 Understood. And uh uh, there’s so many problems. And you know, I’ve said to the mayor and I’ve said to every other official, why are we burdening our citizens in our city? Uh? Why can’t we just put them in Rikers Island. And you know what I said veto to them. I said, let’s change the name of Rikers Island to Ellis Island too.

2:34 I believe in the relation, Yes, Ellis Island. Two, I believe in immigration. Put them on Ellis Island and check them out. Make sure there’s no there’s no diseases, make sure that they’re healthy. Make sure the kids are get vaccinated and are healthy before you put them into the schools next to our kids. Make sure there’s no terrorists

2:57 and no drug dealers. And that’s what Ellis Island used to do. So all it was immigration. Yes, but let’s be smarter about it.

3:08 Speaker 2 What do you think, John, I couldn’t have said it better myself because it’s common sense and it’s rooted in what doing the right thing is all about for the citizens and tax payers. And you alluded to the fact that young migrant children, and they are the let’s put it this way, they are the most innocent in all

3:27 of this because they haven’t controlled their destiny. Others have putting that aside. The fact is that ordinary, if you will, citizens, if they send their kids to school, have to demonstrate full immunization and vaccination for a number of diseases, and the city is basically saying that the migrant children do not have to comply with that standard. So you know,

3:49 who knows what some of these kids are going to be going into a school with and potentially infecting not just other students but teachers and faculty. And you’re right. Years ago we have big propos of legal immigration. You know, you’re you’re the child of Greek and dare I say Italian ancestors, right? Uh? And I am of Italian and

4:09 Irish and so many others. And we are not standing in the way of that. In fact, we think that that should be a better approach to legal immigration. But you can’t just turn this they get odd and let it flow incessantly, and.

4:25 Speaker 1 That’s what they’re doing. And it’s very sad. And and the people that are suffering is the citizens of our city. And you don’t know, the criminals are running around and and we and some like Venezuela and some of the city the countries they’re opening up their jails via veto and and and getting rid of them and say, okay,

4:48 you don’t have to be in jail. We don’t want to feed you, psequests a lot of money to feed you in jail. So we’re sending you to the United States.

4:57 Speaker 2 Yeah, you know, and once again we’re still but enough to take them.

5:01 Speaker 1 And then the other story I heard, and you know, I tell all my gay friends, beware of the migrants. You know why they’re opening up their hospitals and sending the gay people with aids to the United States, promising them they’ll get a better health in the United States.

5:22 So they’re everything out the hospitals and everything out their jams.

5:28 Speaker 2 You know, we live in a world where information can be shared instantaneously, so all around the world, and we’ve seen it. People have said, it’s not just coming up from Venezuela or some Latin or South American countries. They’re coming from all over the world because they have been told or they’ve realized that all they need to do

5:49 is get to Mexico and walk across the border and then they will be held and put up for nothing. As I say, in New York City. So if you’re destitute or have two pennies to your name and you’re living in the middle of West Africa and you hear this, what are you gonna do you’re gonna say, I’m gonna do,

6:06 I’m taking that trip, I’m rolling the dice. And who pays the bill, the New York City taxpayer. And it’s just not right. And the federal government has a responsibility to shut the border down because, like I said, it’s a spiggott a faucet. The water just keeps on coming out, and if the sink is getting full, you don’t just

6:25 get more pots and pans to bail out the sink. You shut off the fawcet first. So that’s the first thing, and deal with the issue before us, before we absorb any more casualties or any more problems. You know, the Hippocratic oath is what do no harm, and what we’re doing now is violating that oath and bringing harm to

6:44 this city taxpayers and parents who are concerned, like back to Staten Island, are concerned that there are migrants a few feet from when their child goes to school. And I wouldn’t want that from my kid, and they shouldn’t.

6:57 Speaker 1 Either, I agree, said Vito Forcella Borough, President of Staten Island. Defend your island. Thank you so much for coming on this Sunday morning.

7:10 Speaker 2 Anything John, we will stand strong on Staten Island now and forever.

7:14 Speaker 1 Thank you, God bless