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Rep. Ocasio-Cortez reintroduces bill for 9/11 cleanup crews
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and two other legislators have reintroduced a bill in the House to put immigrants who cleared debris after the Sept. 11 attacks on a fast track to legal immigration status in the U.S. Immigrants in New York who worked after the attacks have long asked to obtain legal immigration status as a way to compensate for the subsequent health problems they have suffered.
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Asian Americans seek greater political power after shootings
It's also spurring her and other Asian Americans to push for greater political influence in Washington and other power centers. President Joe Biden and his aides have been repeatedly pressed to include Asian Americans in his Cabinet. AdโI think symbolism and representation matters, but only up to a point,โ said Aarti Kohli, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice. โThose things all contribute to lower rates of political participation among Asian Americans, but people โ mistakenly, I think โ assume that Asian Americans are somehow less interested in U.S. civic life.โAdThat's evolving. โAsian Americans didn't necessarily grow up with that vocabulary of advocacy and how to fight for ourselves," Meng said.
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Advocates worry blacks, Hispanics falling behind in census
FILE - In this April 1, 2020, file photo, people walk past posters encouraging participation in the 2020 Census in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)ORLANDO, Fla. Halfway through the extended effort to count every U.S. resident, civil rights leaders worry that minority communities are falling behind in responding to the 2020 census. With the new coronavirus spreading, the Census Bureau suspended field operations in mid-March for a month and a half, including efforts to drop off census forms at households in rural areas with no traditional addresses. The Census Bureau on Thursday said it had finished dropping off the forms to almost all of the 6.8 million mostly rural households. We are risking another decreased count in 2020 census, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, a Democrat from New York City, said Thursday during a conference call.

Hindu priest attacked in NY, suspect arrested
Spencer Platt/Getty Images(CNN) - A Hindu priest was attacked in a Queens, New York, neighborhood this week, and a suspect was arrested in the case, a congresswoman said Saturday. "I commend the NYPD for making a swift arrest in this case and I'm confident that justice will be served. I stand with the Hindu community and wish the victim a full recovery," Rep. Grace Meng, D-New York, said in a statement. An NYPD spokesperson said the victim was taken to a hospital after being punched and hit with an object believed to be an umbrella. Investigators do not believe there is a hate crime component connected at this point, the second NYPD spokesperson said.