New York: At today’s (20 January 2022) Stated meeting of the New York City Council, Council Member for the 39th District, Shahana Hanif, was selected to be the next chair of the influential Immigration Committee. Taking over from former Council Member Carlos Menchaca, Council Member Hanif will be presiding over the powerful committee tasked with oversight on federal and state immigration policy in New York City as well as ensuring equal rights for New York City’s millions of immigrants.

“As the daughter of two working-class Bangladeshi immigrants, I am deeply honored to be selected as the next chair of our City Council’s Immigration Committee,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif. “Millions of immigrants call our city home, and as the new chair of this committee, it is my duty to ensure their voices are heard, and their rights are respected. There is so much work to be done to ensure we keep ICE, and organizations that contract with the rogue federal agency, out of our city. We will also make certain the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs fulfills its obligations to the millions of immigrants that call this city their home. I look forward to working with my council colleagues to see a smooth implementation of the Our City, Our Vote legislation and transform language access in New York City.”

About Council Member Shahana Hanif: Council Member Shahana Hanif is the newly elected Council Member for Brooklyn’s 39th District. Born and raised in Kensington, Brooklyn, she is the daughter of two Bangladeshi Muslim immigrants. She is a product of public schools, having attended P.S. 230 and Brooklyn College, and is an activist, community organizer, and public servant. Most recently, she served as the Director of Organizing and Community Engagement in Former Council Member, now Comptroller, Brad Lander’s office, where she led grassroots initiatives like Participatory Budgeting. Shahana is the first Muslim woman ever elected to the New York City Council and the first woman Council Member for the 39th District. –Press Release