Newly appointed US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in a bid to mollify Hispanic lawmakers wary of her stance on immigration, told a group of 16- New York City politicians on Sunday, she will use them as a sounding board to help frame her immigration policy.

With the group of Latino elected officials refusing to back her until she changes her positions on immigration and after Rivera (D- Bronx) and others blasted her House voting record on immigration issues recently, with Rivera saying her U. S. House record 'borders on xenophobia', Gillibrand met for nearly two hours, with lawmakers from the state Senate, Assembly and New York City Council at Brooklyn's Metro-tech Centre.

Talking to The Associated Press after the meeting, Gillibrand told it: 'We need to recognize the heritage that the immigrant community has provided to this country and put policies in place that will reflect that core value'.

Gillibrand reached out and asked for the meeting after Rivera and other lawmakers announced they would hold a press conference to oppose Gillibrand in the 2010 Democratic primary, abruptly cancelling it after the Senator scheduled a session and promised to seek input on immigration issues from the group, including U. S. Reps. Nydia Velazquez (D-Brooklyn) and Jose Serrano (D-Bronx).

On his part, Rivera says: 'I'm not saying that I'm convinced. She is asking for a chance to demonstrate where she is going to be when it comes to immigration.'

With her Brooklyn visit marking the latest in her post-appointment tour of the state, Gillibrand also had lunch with Clinton, Sen. Charles Schumer and Gov. David A. Paterson in Manhattan, including visiting Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith's Queens neighborhood last weekend and marching in yesterday's Chinatown parade. A trip to Long Island remains to be scheduled, even as her spokeswoman did not immediately return phone calls.