“New York State has long served as the gateway for those fleeing from oppression to gain access to citizenship and a better life on U.S. soil. There is no doubt that our country was built on the strong work ethic of immigrants whose only goal was to provide for their families. Many of those families settled and grew right here in our district. The hardships they endured to afford their sons and daughters a bright future are well documented in our history books. We must continue to honor the immigrant tradition that has made our country and our state strong, but it must be done the right way.

“Today, the Assembly Majority, forced through legislation to permit tax dollars collected from legal residents of New York State to be used to fund the college education, legal fees and other expensive social programs for illegal immigrants, while those who did it the right way are forgotten. We cannot allow this abuse of taxpayer money and it goes directly against our strong tradition of legal immigration and naturalization. Making the path to citizenship more efficient will encourage those wishing to enter our borders to do so legally.”