Mayor de Blasio Booed At Dominican Day Parade Over Immigration Policy Remarks
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio was booed Sunday as he marched in the annual Dominican Day Parade.
Some revelers said at the parade Sunday in Midtown that the mayor should apologize for comments he made in June that criticized the Dominican Republic's immigration policies.
Many in the city's Dominican community were offended when de Blasio condemned the expulsion of thousands of people of Haitian descent from the Dominican Republic.
Hundreds of thousands of Haitians have feared being deported from the Dominican Republic amid the immigration crisis.
PHOTOS: Dominican Day Parade
Last month, de Blasio called the Dominican government's threat of expulsion ``illegal,'' ``immoral'' and ``racist.''
Parade attendee Miriam Vázquez was one of a few who booed the mayor. She said his comments were offensive.
De Blasio says the opposition ``won't silence me.''
The Dominican Day Parade was held along Sixth Avenue between 34th and 54th streets. A major theme this year was Educational and Economic Empowerment, with organizers raising more than $250,000 to reward underprivileged students in the local Dominican community.
The grand marshal this year was Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Pedro Martinez, who played for the Mets and the Boston Red Sox.
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