Home Flipping, Immigrant Detention by ICE Must Stop, Salazar Says

State Senator Julia Salazar, who represents the state’s 18th District comprising portions of Bushwick and Cypress Hills, said her upcoming legislative priorities include stopping predatory home flipping and preventing authorities from locking up migrants solely on their immigration status. 

During a ‘State of the District’ town hall event on Thursday evening in Bushwick, the senator said she introduced a total of 92 bills in the last legislative session, of which six passed both the Senate and Assembly and awaits the governor's signature to sign them into law. 

For the rest of the year, Salazar said she's pushing to get her fellow legislators to approve a slew of bills, including one that will provide rebates on e-bike purchases, tax home flippers and stop U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from holding immigration detainees in detention centers.

If approved, the state senator said bill S314A would direct the New York State Energy Research & Development (NYSERDA) to provide a rebate to people who purchase an e-bike or e-scooter. This bill passed the Senate but is waiting for Assembly approval.

Another bill, S1569A, which is still in the beginning stages of approval, aims to end home flipping tactics by taxing investors if they try to sell a certain property, including those purchased in an all cash transaction, within two years of purchase.

Salazar said home flipping "is rampant" in her district.

“The most harmful aspect of this is the investor purchases the home for what's a very good deal for them, but not usually a very good deal for the homeowner,” she said. “All of us should be able to continue living in our communities, but because of predatory speculation in house flipping, that is increasingly inaccessible to people.”

Another priority is passing bill S306, which aims to stop ICE from holding immigrats in a detention center just because they do not have proper paperwork.

“There are many people who have been not committed a crime, haven't violated state law, they haven't hurt anybody. And yet they are held solely because of their immigration status,” said Salazar. “In New York, we welcome our neighbors and we don't treat people this way.”

Salazar, who was elected to her position in 2018, is best known for introducing the “Good Cause Eviction" bill, which is intended to prohibit landlords from not renewing leases without a reason. It was the first bill that Salazar introduced as a new senator. This year, a version of the bill was included in the state’s budget after a years-long push from liberal elected officials. The state’s housing budget this year also included a provision capping rent increases to up to 5% plus the consumer price index (CPI).

“It absolutely is a victory that is going to make a profound impact in the lives of people across our district and across our state,” said Salazar of the new provisions. “It's a game changer, and it is going to protect a lot of people from unjustified rent increases and from being evicted for no good reason.”

During the Q&A portion of the meeting, district residents asked Salazar about her position on congestion pricing. The measure was originally intended to go into effect in this summer, before it was abruptly paused by Governor Kathy Hochul in a controversial decision.

“I fully support congestion pricing,” said Salazar, stating that there is far too much traffic going into Manhattan, causing unnecessary congestion and carbon emissions. “We have to meet our climate goals, and we're not going to do that if we don't get some people out of their cars and using other clean modes of transportation.”