In response to Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy's announcement that he may consider a run for governor, Grace Meng and several other New York State Assembly members of Asian and Hispanic background publicly condemned his candidacy yesterday, citing Levy's anti-immigrant record.

Meng and her colleagues warned that if Levy competes for the governorship he may exploit his anti-immigrant stance in order to win votes, sacrificing the image of immigrants and minorities for his political aspirations.

The declaration states that since his election as County Executive of Long Island's Suffolk County, Levy has demonstrated a misunderstanding of immigrant issues and focused attention in the wrong areas. His actions, the statement says, aim to oppress immigrants, not to solve their problems.

The statement cites as an example of Levy's prejudice a joke he made in August 2009, when he asked a Canadian-born man if he was an American citizen, and, when the man replied yes, said that was good, because "otherwise I'd have to deport you, like the guys back in the kitchen." Earlier, in 2007, Levy ordered Suffolk County police and immigration officers to raid the homes of illegal immigrants, driving many people out of their homes to disperse randomly. Levy has been accused of creating an anti-immigrant climate that led to the 2008 murder of an immigrant at the hands of seven young men.

The declaration condemns Levy of standing in the way of New York City's development. NYC's population is skyrocketing as immigrants pour in from all quarters of the world, and now one out of every three New Yorkers is either of Asian or Hispanic background. In addition, immigrants play an important role as an engine of the City's economic development.

Meng, the State Assembly's only Asian-American member, says that Levy's candidacy would be harmful for New Yorkers. She believes that Levy lacks respect and sympathy for other Americans, and can only move New York backward, not forward.

Peter M. Rivera, the longest-tenured Hispanic member of the New York State Assembly, says that Levy's announcement has struck a warning note. Levy's prejudicial attacks on immigrants on Long Island have always been condemned, Rivera says, and he will not find any friends or supporters in the Hispanic community.

Felix Ortiz, another Assembly member of Hispanic background, says that the state needs a governor who will recognize the contributions of immigrants, not ignore New York's ever-growing immigrant community.