Black activists seeking reparations blast Democrats for flooding their neighborhoods with migrants from Latin America

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 19:21, 1 June 2026 | Updated: 19:21, 1 June 2026 Black activists seeking reparations for slavery in New York are coming after Democrats over propositions to include other minorities in their plans, accusing them of planting migrants to shift voter results.  Aubrey Muhammad claimed to the New York State Commission on Reparations Remedies in Long Island last month that Democrats were importing 'Latinos' to fill 'voting rolls' as 'replacements for us' and gentrifying Black neighborhoods.  'The Democrats, in a sick way, important 25 million immigrants. And 70 percent of them came into poor Black neighborhoods,' Muhammed told Fox News.  'Hempstead, since the 90s, has been flooded with immigrants. That's taking the resources, putting them towards others.' According to US Census data, the Hispanic or Latino population in the Village of Hempstead grew from around 14 percent in 1990 to roughly 45 percent in 2025.  Meanwhile, the Black population was recorded to make up around 45 percent of the near 60,000 town population, data showed.  The hearing organized by New York's nine-member reparations commission at Hempstead High School sought public opinion on discriminatory policies in New York as well as reparations for slavery.  'I think that we are owed a debt,' local resident Caprice Reins told the outlet.  Aubrey Muhammad, seen above, claimed to the New York State Commission on Reparations Remedies in Long Island last month that Democrats were importing 'Latinos' to fill 'voting rolls' as 'replacements for us' and gentrifying Black neighborhoods The hearing organized by New York's nine-member reparations commission at Hempstead High School sought public opinion on discriminatory policies in New York as well as reparations for slavery Several of those who spoke at the hearing were aligned with The United States Freedman Project, who self-identify as Foundational Black Americans.  'I think it's important because as Foundational Black Americans who've been here since the founding of the country, coming in as slaves, and also indigenous people who are here, we have a claim to the country,' Muhammed told the outlet.  'We have our own culture, and we deserve to be compensated for what our ancestors have been put through.' The USFP was created with intent to educate the public on the legal and historical distinctions between African Americans who are direct descendants of enslaved people in the US and those who immigrated voluntarily, according to Fox.  The project's supporters and organizers argue that eligibility for state-level reparations should not be based solely on race, which they said would violate the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause. 'If those are based on race, they're going to be shot down like affirmative action, like the Fearless Fund, like the farmer's bill,' Divine Prince, a spokesperson for the project, told the outlet.  Instead, state officials were urged to base eligibility on proven 'lineage.' 'The idea that we feel that we should somehow craft something that will not in some way look like it's racial is somewhat problematic,' Dr Ron Daniels, a member of the commission, added.  The USFP supporters argue that eligibility for state-level reparations should not be based solely on race, which they said would violate the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause 'We do have a legal team, we have legal counsel, and there is a whole body of lawyers who, in fact, are dealing with… an injury- and harm-based proposition in terms of how to present reparations.' However, Director of the Nassau County Chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union Susan Gottehrer argued that the broader approach would be more affective in addressing systemic inequities, Fox reported.  'These government policies have affected Black New Yorkers regardless of lineage,' she said.  'Excluding a subset of Black Americans would leave a significant portion of documented racial injustice completely unexamined.' Muhammed, however, said Gottehrer's argument was 'disrespectful' and fails to distinguish between the historical experiences of the Black population.  According to Muhammed, the American Civil Liberties Union is simply attempting to secure finding 'so they get some of our reparations money to pay for these other causes,' he told Fox.  'They form these organizations, they give them funding and they bless these immigrants - they bless these other groups, marginalized groups.' New York State Assemblymember Michaelle Solages also came under fire for echoing a similar idea.  New York State Assemblymember Michaelle Solages argued that the effects of slavery are broader and have seeped into much of American society and affected all Black Americans Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, said that Black New Yorkers are 'smart enough to know' that the reparations are 'just another empty political promise that will never materialize' 'When we draft legislation for the commission, we want to ensure that we're having a thorough conversation about slavery and its harms, whether it's mass incarceration, health disparities, the lack of educational opportunity for folks or the wealth gap,' she said, the outlet reported.   Brooke Lean, a supporter of the project, told Fox: 'They want to erase out story, dilute our story by adding in a bunch of people who just got here, whose ancestors did not build this county.' The hearing marked the 19th so far and the second held on Long Island.  Lynette Battle told the hearing that her grandparents were born 'in the direct shadow of slavery' and her great-great-grandparents had been enslaved, Newsday reported.  'The harm and economic impact did not disappear,' she said. 'it passed from generation to generation.' However, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Republican gubernatorial candidate set to face New York Governor Kathy Hochul in November, told Newsday that Black New Yorkers are 'smart enough to know' that the reparations are 'just another empty political promise that will never materialize.' The Daily Mail reached out to The United States Freedman Project,  the New York State Commission on Reparations Remedies, the NYCLU and the ACLU, Governor Kathy Hochul, Bruce Blakeman and New York State Assemblymember Michaelle Solages for comment.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.