Michael Silvestri Candidacy for NJ Assembly for Legislative District 15

As an individual whom is for equal rights and equal economic equality I congratulate Governor Phil
Murphy on three important issues related to immigrants. Those issues are allowing undocumented
immigrants to better their lives with free higher education, NJ Legislation approved bill he signed to allow all immigrants the ability to obtain a NJ drivers license starting in 2021 and extending minimum wage to fifteen dollars per hour by 2024. I also want to congratulate NJ Attorney General Gubir S. Grewal on making NJ a safer place to live and work for hardworking immigrants with his Immigrant Trust Directive policy issued in November of 2018.

Those four very important issues have already reshaped New Jersey in ways seen in urban communities
such as Trenton where there are many immigrants which reside in the city yet there is much more that
can be done to better the lives of our immigrant communities and the immigrants making New Jersey
their home and to raise their families which is why today I am announcing my candidacy for New Jersey
Assembly for the Fifteenth District.

Why the state has to assist immigrants living in New Jersey. The Federal Government began its racial
injustice against Hispanics in 1954 when Congress approved measures to arrest, detain and deport as
many as 1.3 million Hispanics by the order of President Dwight D. Eisenhower which the president called operation wetback. This is the largest presidential ordered racial discrimination operation in American history however the federal government will not admit to it today. This racist act against all immigrants today is continued with federal immigration police officers called ICE which arrest and detail individuals based on their nationality without any evidence that the person committed any crimes. I remember in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, ICE came to Trenton which seemed to be weekly to go to all the bars, restaurants and food stores questioning immigrants if they had their permanent residency card on them if not they detained the person. This caused major issues in Trenton where people lived in fear and didn’t leave their homes and Mayor Doug Palmer signed Trenton as a sanctuary city protecting all immigrants from federal authorities.

With New Jersey having its own Constitution the Governors of New Jersey and politicians in New Jersey
legislation have a legal responsibility to protect and serve all people making New Jersey their home which includes NJ immigrants. NJ politics should not be based on who is a citizen or who can vote, it is more than that and that is why I am running, for all the voices whom can vote and who cannot vote because everyone should be heard. I have a plan which will benefit undocumented immigrants to a path to citizenship with the assistance of the State of New Jersey and a plan to allow permanent residents the ability to vote in New Jersey elections until they become naturalized citizens and can legally vote according to Federal laws.

We need to allow immigrants to have their voices heard, we need to know what matters to them and
their families, and we cannot ignore them we need to embrace them as we embrace all our neighbors and
our own families.

The matters at hand are important to the people and they are as important to me. My wife, Claudia
Lorena, she migrated here from Colombia to be able to provide a better future for her children and give
her children a better life. My wife is no different than my co-workers at the restaurants I worked at while
obtaining my education in political science. Then men I worked with at Parkway Pizza for 7 years, Varsity Pizza for 18 years and Fedelo’s Ristorante and Pizzeria for 6 years all have families in their country which require assistance in order to survive. My previous co-workers would work long hours just like my wife, send money back to their country to provide food, clothing and if they have children pay to educate their children. My wife is a special person and guides me in a positive direction where her views and opinions strengthened mine making me seek out an organized plan which can be achieved and can help immigrants be on a positive path to becoming citizens.

My announcement for NJ Assembly will be a victory to all immigrants yet my platform focuses on other
issues related towards urban redevelopment projects by allowing additional state funds to procure land
to build new affordable homes, attract out of state manufacturing companies to New Jersey with
additional tax credits in return for their job creation especially in targeted urban communities engulfed
with poverty, allowing previous incarcerated individuals to have their God given right to vote as an
American citizen without having to pay thousands of dollars to have their records expunged and not
waiting seven years to be able to so, a plan to make New Jersey better prepared for emergencies and
many other issues to be addressed.

Many years ago manufacturing companies came to New Jersey to build their factories which build
communities close to the factories which build homes, small businesses, brought major businesses and
restaurants however when they left so did all the other businesses leaving behind empty buildings to
deteriorate, communities to fall victim to poverty, increase in crime activity and drug use. To bring
manufacturing companies back to urban areas will revitalize the communities where people will have the
necessary resources to make their lives and homes better thus making the urban cities prosper once again.

This will take a long term approach in which will require the full support of NJ legislation and NJ Governors to continue the positive course.

With the Covid pandemic, New Jersey was not prepared to deal with this deadly virus in order to protect
the citizens of New Jersey or assist medical professionals therefore I put together a plan which will provide funds to be saved no different than the state’s rainy day fund to procure necessary medical equipment and supplies to be distributed to communities mostly impacted.