NYIFUP Demands ICE Release Immigrants In Local Jails And Halt All Arrests Due to Their Failure to Respond On Coronavirus Crisis
March 13, 2020 CONTACT: Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org Dan Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, AILopez@legal-aid.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYIFUP DEMANDS ICE RELEASE IMMIGRANTS IN LOCAL JAILS AND HALT ALL ARRESTS DUE TO THEIR FAILURE TO RESPOND ON CORONAVIRUS CRISIS NYC Public Defenders Also Calling for Postponement of…
Joint Defender Statement Calling for Immediate Release of Vulnerable Incarcerated New Yorkers in Response to Coronavirus
March 16, 2020 Contact Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society (RHaskins@legal-aid.org) Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services (DBall@bds.org) Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) Lupe Todd-Medina, New York County Defender Services (LToddmedina@nycds.org) Sam McCann, The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Joint Defender Statement Calling for Immediate Release of Vulnerable Incarcerated…
NYIFUP Demands Answers from ICE On How NYC-Area Detention Centers Will Respond to Coronavirus Crisis
NYIFUP Demands Answers from ICE On How NYC-Area Detention Centers Will Respond to Coronavirus Crisis FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 9, 2020 CONTACT: Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, 917-294-9348, AILopez@legal-aid.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org Dan Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, and The Bronx Defenders – New…
NYIFUP Demand Letter to ICE re: Coronavirus Response Plans
March 6, 2020 Thomas Decker New York Field Office Director Immigration and Customs Enforcement 26 Federal Plaza, 9th Floor New York NY 10278 Warden Steven Ahrendt Bergen County Jail 160 S. River Street Hackensack, NJ 07601 Director Ronald P. Edwards Hudson County Correctional Facility 30-35 Hackensack Avenue Kearny, NJ 07032 Sheriff Carl E. DuBois Orange…
Lawsuit: ICE Office in NYC Has Secret No-Release Policy
Lawsuit: ICE Office in NYC Has Secret No-Release Policy Exclusive Data Shows ICE’s New York Field Office Denies Release in Virtually All Cases FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 2, 2020 CONTACT: Ben Schaefer, bschaefer@nyclu.org, 212-607-3372; Ryan Karerat, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org, (347) 842-1251 NEW YORK – The New York Civil Liberties Union and The Bronx Defenders today announced a…
Press Release: The Bronx Defenders Condemns Right Wing Fear-Mongering Against Immigrants on New Way Forward Legislation
CONTACT Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, (347) 842-1251, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 7, 2019 NEW YORK- The Bronx Defenders today condemned smears from FOX News host Tucker Carlson and President Donald Trump in their efforts to demean immigrants and advocate against the the passage of the critical federal immigration reform bill, H.R. 5383 –…
Policy Summit
Are you a member of the Bronx community? Are you interested in advocating for laws and policies that will create a more fair, just, and equitable legal system? Do you want to ensure that policy reforms reflect the needs and wants of our community? Then we need you! Join The Bronx Defenders for our 2nd…
Defenders’ Academy 2020
BxD is holding its annual Defenders’ Academy, a five-day intensive trial skills program for criminal and family defenders, from March 23-27, 2020. Participants are challenged to combine persuasive advocacy with a mastery of fundamental trial skills.
6 Ways To Make An Impact
This was an incredible year for The Bronx Defenders (BxD). Thanks to individuals like you, we defended over 20,000 Bronx residents with low-incomes in criminal, civil, child welfare, and immigration cases annually. As the year comes to a close, there are many ways to help us make 2020 even more successful. Consider the 6 unique…
Values Worth Fighting For
John sought asylum in the United States after being kidnapped in Nigeria for being bisexual. Upon his arrival, he was detained by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE). “I was imprisoned for seven months. I was facing a lot of challenges in there,” says John. Carletta lost everything due to a minor interaction with the legal system….
Joint Statement by New York Advocates and Public Defenders on Trump’s False and Inflammatory Dog-Whistle on People in Pre-Trial Detention
Joint Statement by New York Advocates and Public Defenders on Trump’s False and Inflammatory Dog-Whistle on People in Pre-Trial Detention (New York, NY) — Today, Citizen Action of New York, Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, New York County Defender Services, The Legal Aid Society, and the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund released the following joint…
NYC Public Defender Orgs Statement on Proposed NYC BOC Rules on Solitary Confinement
Defender Organizations Demand an End to Solitary Confinement, Urge NYC Board of Correction to Take Action FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEW YORK — The Bronx Defenders, Neighborhood Defender Service, Brooklyn Defender Services, and New York County Defender Services call on the New York City Board of Correction (DOC) to take action to end the torture of solitary confinement. The Board will…
R.C. v. The City of New York – Class Action
The Bronx Defenders and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP represent a class of people in R.C. v. The City of New York. This case challenges the NYPD’s use and disclosure of sealed arrest records. This case alleges that the NYPD uses sealed arrest records for internal investigative purposes and shares sealed records externally with…
Joint Statement From NYIFUP Legal Providers On The Opening Of A New Immigration Court
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** September 9, 2019 JOINT STATEMENT FROM NYIFUP LEGAL PROVIDERS ON THE OPENING OF A NEW IMMIGRATION COURT (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, and The Bronx Defenders – New York City’s defender organizations providing free legal representation through the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) to detained immigrants with…
Huge Class Certified in Case Against NYPD Sets Up Mass Reforms to Surveillance Databases
Huge Class Certified in Case Against NYPD Sets Up Mass Reforms to Surveillance Databases Decision Means That NYPD will have to turn over information on how it uses millions of sealed arrest records FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 5, 2019 NEW YORK – A judge today certified a class in a lawsuit brought by The Bronx…
Bronx Defenders’ Revised Statement on the Closing of Rikers Island and the Creation of Borough-Based Jails
The Bronx Defenders strongly supports closing Rikers Island and the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center (“the Boat”). The conditions within these facilities are inhumane and there is no solution but to permanently close them. We, nevertheless, retract our original statement that supported replacing Rikers and the Boat with borough-based jails and have decided that we…
The Bronx Defenders Oppose ABA Resolution 114
The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that is radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the legal system. Every year, we defend thousands of New Yorkers who come into contact with the criminal legal system, and we are committed to ending mass incarceration crisis in our communities and beyond. …
The Road Ahead
Over the last two decades, our advocates have radically transformed the landscape of public defense: from representing people facing criminal prosecution when we first opened our doors to standing with our clients in family court, in immigration court, in housing court, and beyond. And in the past few years, we have stepped up our demands…
NYIFUP Statement On Continued Air Conditioning Issues At Bergen County Jail Amid NYC Area Heat Wave
July 10, 2019 ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYIFUP STATEMENT ON CONTINUED AIR CONDITIONING ISSUES AT BERGEN COUNTY JAIL AMID NYC AREA HEAT WAVE (NEW YORK, NY) – The Bronx Defenders, The Legal Aid Society, and Brooklyn Defender Services – New York City’s defender organizations providing free legal representation through the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) to detained immigrants with…
NYIFUP Statement On Reports that Quarantine for Mumps at ICE Bergen County Jail Has Been Extended
July 8, 2019 ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYIFUP STATEMENT ON REPORTS THAT QUARANTINE FOR MUMPS AT ICE BERGEN COUNTY JAIL HAS BEEN EXTENDED (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, and The Bronx Defenders – New York City’s defender organizations providing free legal representation through the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) to…
The Bronx Defenders Celebrates Transition of Still She Rises Tulsa to Independent Nonprofit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 1, 2019 TULSA – Still She Rises, Tulsa announced today their official transition from its parent organization, the Bronx Defenders, to its new status as an independent nonprofit. Justine Olderman, Executive Director of the Bronx Defenders, and Aisha McWeay, Executive Director of Still She Rises, Tulsa, released the following joint statement: …
Press Release: Family Advocacy Initiative Funding
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 18, 2019 CONTACT Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org, (347) 842-1251 Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org (347) 592 -2579 Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service, smccann@ndsny.org, (212) 316-7399 Anne Conroy, Center for Family Representation, aconroy@cfrny.org, (646) 276-5634 NEW YORK – The Bronx Defenders, Brooklyn Defender Services, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem…
On Juneteenth, NYC Defenders Call for Legislature to Deliver Justice to Communities Impacted By Marijuana Laws, Say Recently Proposed Legislation Falls Short
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** ON JUNETEENTH, NYC DEFENDERS CALL FOR LEGISLATURE TO DELIVER JUSTICE TO COMMUNITIES IMPACTED BY MARIJUANA LAWS, SAY RECENTLY PROPOSED LEGISLATION FALLS SHORT (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, New York County Defender Services, Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, and Neighborhood Defender Service say that recently-introduced legislation would fail to deliver justice to…
NYC Defenders Demand True Marijuana Justice, Call Recently Introduced Bill ‘Too Little Too Late’
June 17, 2019 Contact: Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society (RHaskins@legal-aid.org) Lupe Todd-Medina, New York County Defender Services (Lupe@effectivemediastrategies.com) Jared Chausow, Brooklyn Defender Services (jchausow@bds.org) Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org) Sam McCann, The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (smccann@ndsny.org) ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYC DEFENDERS DEMAND TRUE MARIJUANA JUSTICE, CALL RECENTLY INTRODUCED BILL ‘TOO LITTLE TOO LATE’ (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, New York County Defender…
NYC Defender Caseload Analysis: Hundreds Of New Yorkers Are Still Being Targeted For Marijuana Possession
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYC DEFENDER CASELOAD ANALYSIS: HUNDREDS OF NEW YORKERS ARE STILL BEING TARGETED FOR MARIJUANA POSSESSION (NEW YORK, NY) – The Bronx Defenders, The Legal Aid Society, New York County Defender Services, Brooklyn Defender Services, and Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem released caseload data today showing that despite efforts to scale back policing and prosecution of low-level…