Attorneys Call for Immediate Release of Detained Immigrants and Demand End to Transfers, As NJ Local Governments End All Contracts with ICE
October 7, 2021 Contacts: Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org Emily Whitfield, The Bronx Defenders, ewhitfield@bronxdefenders.org Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society, rhaskins@legal-aid.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYIFUP STATEMENT ON BERGEN COUNTY’S EXIT FROM ICE DETENTION CONTRACT Attorneys Call for Immediate Release of Detained Immigrants and Demand End to Transfers, As NJ Local Governments End All…
In a Win for Millions of New Yorkers, Court Orders NYPD to Stop Accessing Sealed Arrest Records
Court Order Brings Relief for Over 3.5 Million Majority Black and Brown New Yorkers in NYPD’s Massive Searchable Databases MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 CONTACT: Emily Whitfield, ewhitfield@bronxdefenders.org (NEW YORK, NY) Saying that a class action lawsuit brought by The Bronx Defenders and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP has a “very strong likelihood of success,”…
NYIFUP Statement on Hudson County’s Imminent Exit from ICE Detention Contract
September 14, 2021 Contacts: Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society, rhaskins@legal-aid.org Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org Emily Whitfield, The Bronx Defenders, ewhitfield@bronxdefenders.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYIFUP STATEMENT ON HUDSON COUNTY’S IMMINENT EXIT FROM ICE DETENTION CONTRACT Attorneys Call for Immediate Release of Detained Immigrants and Demand End to Transfers (New York, NY) – In response to reports that Hudson County will…
Elected Officials Detail Illegal, Deadly Conditions Inside Rikers Island Following Visit
September 13, 2021 Contact: Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services (DBall@bds.org) Emily Whitfield, The Bronx Defenders (Ewhitfield@bronxdefenders.org ) Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society (rhaskins@legal-aid.org) Lupe Todd-Medina, New York County Defender Services (LToddmedina@nycds.org) ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Elected Officials Detail Illegal, Deadly Conditions Inside Rikers Island Following Visit…
NYC DEFENDERS’ STATEMENT ON DEATH OF SEGUNDO GUALLPAAT RIKERS ISLAND
August 30, 2021 Contact: Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services (DBall@bds.org) Emily Whitfield, The Bronx Defenders (Ewhitfield@bronxdefenders.org) Press Office, The Legal Aid Society (press@legal-aid.org) Lupe Todd-Medina, New York County Defender Services (LToddmedina@nycds.org) Hettie Powell, Queens Defenders (hpowell@queensdefenders.org) ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYC DEFENDERS’ STATEMENT ON DEATH OF SEGUNDO GUALLPAAT…
NYC Defenders Urge Mayor, Governor, and DOCCS Commissioner to Immediately Address the Humanitarian Crisis in New York City’s Jails
August 26, 2021 Contact: Press Office, The Legal Aid Society (press@legal-aid.org) Dan Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services (Dball@bds.org) Emily Whitfield (ewhitfield@bronxdefenders.org) Lupe Todd-Medina, New York County Defender Services (LToddmedina@nycds.org) Sam McCann, The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) Hettie Powell, Queens Defenders (hpowell@queensdefenders.org) ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYC Defenders Urge Mayor, Governor, and DOCCS Commissioner to Immediately…
NYC Defenders Demand Courthouse Safety as the Delta Variant of COVID-19 Surges in New York City
August 16, 2021 Contact: Press Office, The Legal Aid Society (press@legal-aid.org) Sarah Duggan, Brooklyn Defender Services (SDuggan@bds.org) Emily Whitfield, The Bronx Defenders (Ewhitfield@bronxdefenders.org) Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) Lupe Todd-Medina, New York County Defender Services (LToddmedina@nycds.org) ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYC Defenders Demand Courthouse Safety as the Delta Variant of COVID-19 Surges…
NYIFUP Urges Governor Murphy to sign S3361/A5207, Proposed Legislation That Would Prohibit Future ICE Detention Contracts in New Jersey
August 10, 2021 Contacts: Emily Whitfield, The Bronx Defenders, ewhitfield@bronxdefenders.org, 917-686-4542 Press Office, The Legal Aid Society, press@legal-aid.org Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYIFUP Urges Governor Murphy to sign S3361/A5207, Proposed Legislation That Would Prohibit Future ICE Detention Contracts in New Jersey (New York, NY) – The Bronx Defenders,…
The Bronx Defenders Asks Court to Order NYPD to Stop Accessing New Yorkers’ Sealed Arrest Records
THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2021 Contact: Emily Whitfield, ewhitfield@bronxdefenders.org The Bronx Defenders Asks Court to Order NYPD to Stop Accessing New Yorkers’ Sealed Arrest Records “Confidential” NYPD Training Documents Obtained Through Lawsuit Show Officers Were Instructed in Violation of Longstanding Privacy Law (NEW YORK, NY) Saying that the NYPD is flouting the law by permitting its…
NYC Defenders’ Statement on the City’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget
June 1, 2021 Contact: Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society, rhaskins@legal-aid.org Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org Emily Whitfield, The Bronx Defenders, ewhitfield@bronxdefenders.org Lupe Todd-Medina, New York County Defender Services LToddmedina@nycds.org Sam McCann, The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem SMccann@ndsny.org NYC Defenders’ Statement on the City’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, Neighborhood Defender…
In a Legal First, NY State Appeals Court Mandates Review of Problematic Orders of Protection
In a Legal First, NY State Appeals Court Mandates Review of Problematic Orders of Protection Decision establishes the right to a “Crawford Hearing” to justify stay-away orders that render New Yorkers homeless, jobless and separated from their children CONTACT: Emily Whitfield, The Bronx Defenders, ewhitfield@bronxdefenders.org June 24, 2021 (NEW YORK, NY) — Individuals…
The Fight for Justice for Communities of Color Continues, Advocates Tell Albany
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – JOINT STATEMENT June 11, 2021 Contact: Rachel Cohen, rachel@immdefense.org, 917-370-8464 The Fight for Justice for Communities of Color Continues, Advocates Tell Albany Justice Roadmap Celebrates Key Wins, But More Is Needed to End Criminalization of Black, Brown and Immigrant Communities ALBANY, NY — As the 2021 legislative session comes to a…
Immigration Advocates Condemn “Disappearance” of Detained Clients After Sudden ICE Transfers, Refusal to Provide Any Information
June 7, 2021 Contacts: Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, AILopez@legal-aid.org, 917-294-9348 Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org Yatziri Tovar, Make the Road New York, yatziri.tovar@maketheroadny.org, 917-771-2818 ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Immigration Advocates Condemn “Disappearance” of Detained Clients After Sudden ICE Transfers, Refusal to Provide Any Information In Letter to…
NYIFUP Memorandum in Support of the Dignity Not Detention Act
Full memorandum here
Family Defense Advocates Urge Albany to Reform Family Regulation System
(NEW YORK, NY) – Impacted parents and advocates from across New York State today called on lawmakers in Albany to pass three critical bills that they say will help counter the racial-based surveillance inherent in the family regulation system, and empower Black and brown families. They voiced their demands during a press conference (passcode: %7E5nJ&7)…
Joint Statement in Response to Reports that NYC Family Court Clerk Used Racial Slurs to Refer to 15-Year-Old
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Joint Statement in Response to Reports that NYC Family Court Clerk Used Racial Slurs to Refer to 15-Year-Old (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Practice, The Bronx Defenders, Brooklyn Defender Services, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, New York County Defender Services, Lawyers For Children and Center for Family…
Statement from The Exoneration Project, Legal Aid and Others on DAs Vance & Clark’s Announcement to Vacate Criminal Convictions in Cases Where Evidence of Guilt was Purportedly Obtained or Produced by Corrupt Former NYPD Detective Joseph E. Franco
April 15, 2021 Contact: Karen Newirth The Exoneration Project 718-490-0028 karen@exonerationproject.org Redmond Haskins The Legal Aid Society 929-441-2384 rhaskins@legal-aid.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** (NEW YORK, NY) – The Exoneration Project, The Legal Aid Society, The Bronx Defenders, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, New York County Defender Services, The Office of the Appellate Defender and The Center…
NY Supreme Court Rules Incarcerated People Must be Offered COVID Vaccine Immediately
NY Supreme Court Rules Incarcerated People Must be Offered COVID Vaccine Immediately Judge sides with public defenders and advocates in suit, says state’s exclusion of incarcerated people from vaccine eligibility is unconstitutional March 29, 2021 CONTACT Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (smccann@ndsny.org) Arianna Fishman, New York Civil Liberties Union (afishman@nyclu.org) Redmond Haskins, The…
The Bronx Defenders Praise Introduction of Marijuana Legalization Agreement
(ALBANY) – Lawmakers announced last night that they have a deal on a bill that will legalize marijuana in New York. Eli Northrup, Policy Counsel for the Criminal Defense Practice at The Bronx Defenders, issued the following reaction: “We are extremely happy to see that the bill announced closely mirrors the framework of the Marijuana Regulation…
Bronx Defenders Statement on de Blasio Police Reform Plan
NEW YORK – The City Council voted today to approve and endorse Mayor de Blasio’s proposed police ‘reform and reinvention’ plan for New York City as mandated by Governor Cuomo’s executive order 203. Justine Olderman, Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders, issued the following response: “The Mayor’s police ‘reform’ plan and process has been flawed…
Bronx Defenders Statement On The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 And American Dream and Promise Act of 2021
March 11, 2021 Contact: Ryan Karerat, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** BRONX DEFENDERS STATEMENT ON THE U.S. CITIZENSHIP ACT OF 2021 AND AMERICAN DREAM AND PROMISE ACT OF 2021 (Bronx, NY) – Last month, the White House and Congress unveiled the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 and the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 in…
The New York Immigrant Family Unity Project Demands Answers on Vaccination Plan for Detained Immigrants
March 11, 2021 Contacts: Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, AILopez@legal-aid.org, 917-294-9348 Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** The New York Immigrant Family Unity Project Demands Answers on Vaccination Plan for Detained Immigrants (New York, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, and The…
Bronx Defenders Statement on Mayor de Blasio’s Police Reform Plan
NEW YORK – Mayor de Blasio today released a proposed police ‘reform and reinvention’ plan for New York City as mandated by Governor Cuomo’s executive order 203. Justine Olderman, Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders, issued the following response: “While the Mayor claims that this plan was developed with community input, that is not the…
Public Defenders, Advocates Ask Court to Force State to Offer Vaccine to Incarcerated People Immediately
Public Defenders, Advocates Ask Court to Force State to Offer Vaccine to Incarcerated People Immediately February 25, 2021 CONTACT Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (smccann@ndsny.org) Arianna Fishman, New York Civil Liberties Union (afishman@nyclu.org) Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society (rhaskins@legal-aid.org) Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org) Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services (Dball@bds.org) (NEW…
Statewide Family Defense Advocates Lay Out Legislative Agenda for 2021
Letter to Cuomo, Stewart-Cousins, and Heastie Calls for Action to Curb Targeting of Low-Income Communities of Color (New York, NY) – In a recently issued letter, 18 family defense organizations representing thousands of parents across New York State in family court called on Governor Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Carl…