Hudson County View: Federal judge orders release of 5 ICE detainees, including 2 from Hudson County jail
“U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo described the Bergen and Hudson County jails as “the epicenter of the [corona]virus in New Jersey” in her decision made on Easter Sunday. The ACLU, the Legal Aid Society, and the Bronx Defenders, represented the petitions in this matter. “We are thankful for the court’s clear message: that COVID-19 poses…
New York Daily News: ‘I just want to hug my family and be able to grieve;’ ‘I have so much that I need to catch up on;’ ‘I miss the old normal.’ New Yorkers look ahead to end of coronavirus quarantine
“When this is over, I’ll go to Lupita’s Restaurant around the corner from The Bronx Defenders, order one of every taco, then bring it back to a conference room where I’ll brainstorm with my team and relish the banter that’s impossible on a screen.” Read the full article here
Filter Magazine: NY Gov. Cuomo Signs Away Bail Reforms Despite COVID-19 Decarceration Calls
“After the reforms took effect, criminal justice experts found they were working well in keeping people out of jail. “People were going home to their families and their jobs and their kids, not spending time in a jail cell,” Scott Levy of the Bronx Defenders told Filter. “The sky was not falling. There was a ton…
NBC: Jails are releasing inmates because of coronavirus. New York just took a step to lock more people up.
“Reform advocates are also troubled by the timing of the changes, adopted during a pandemic that had spread to several local jails. The outbreaks in lockups have forced authorities to find ways to reduce jail populations; Cuomo, a Democrat, has promised to approve the release of 1,100 inmates held on technical parole violations. The bail…
Law360: ‘No Release’ Injunction In NY Could Be A Blueprint Elsewhere
“A court decision blocking the New York field office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from using its so-called “no release” policy for certain people detained before a hearing is being hailed by immigrant advocates as a key victory that could set an important standard for other parts of the country. U.S. District Judge Judge…
Law360: New York’s About-Face On Bail Reform Wins Few Fans
“The deal that passed the Senate on Thursday night and the Assembly on Friday morning makes crimes like second-degree burglary, promoting child pornography, vehicular manslaughter and several others bail-eligible once again. In a statement Friday, a coalition of New York City public defender groups that includes the Bronx Defenders, The Legal Aid Society and Brooklyn…
Truthout: It’s Impossible to “Distance” in ICE Detention. Doctors Say Free All Detainees.
“Experts in immigration law say that this is one of the fundamental misunderstandings people in the U.S. have about ICE detention: Despite the administration’s rhetoric, ICE does not actually have the authority to detain people in the name of public safety. The agency can only detain people for allegedly violating immigration laws. “It’s something that…
Slate: Cuomo’s Bail Reform Reversal Risks Explosive Coronavirus Spread in Jails
“The governor’s proposal also permits pretrial detention for a much wider range of offenses and allows judges to make guesses about the future “dangerousness” of a defendant (the likelihood that they will commit a new violent crime) based on the “weight of the evidence,” which flouts the presumption of innocence before a case goes to…
The Intercept: Rikers Island Prisoners Being Offered PPE And $6 An Hour To Dig Mass Graves
“Justine Olderman, executive director of Bronx Defenders, a public defender organization, recently described the conditions at Rikers to The Intercept: “You have a situation where all the protocols that are coming out of the Centers for Disease Control cannot be enacted: There are broken sinks, there’s no hand sanitizer, people don’t have access to soap, and at…
Politico: Public defenders raise civil rights concerns as more court proceedings move online
“But while the expansion of remotely-administered justice in New York’s criminal courts is seen by many as an important measure amid public health concerns, it is raising civil rights concerns as in-person appearances are crucial to the criminal justice process. “It creates this barrier to representation,” said Ilona Coleman, legal director of the Bronx Defenders’…
City Limits: Her Husband’s in ICE Custody. She Knew Something Was Wrong When He Didn’t Call.
“Many immigration courts have closed. Lawyers are not visiting detainees. And the situation now is like being in a hurricane, when the rain stops the real impact will be known,” said Francisco Collazos, Immigrant Families Together co-founder. Organizations such as Immigrant Families Together are currently working to identify how many detainees may be at greatest…
Law360: ICE Blocked From Enforcing NY Detention Policy
“Law360, New York (March 30, 2020, 9:52 PM EDT) — A New York federal judge on Monday blocked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in New York from carrying out what immigrant advocates claim is a blanket no-release policy for certain detainees accused of civil immigration offenses. During an afternoon teleconference, U.S. District Judge Alvin…
Documented: Early Arrival: Judge Orders Immigrants Released from Detention Due to COVID-19
“A federal judge on Thursday ordered the release of 10 immigrants held in county jails in New Jersey due to the coronavirus. All of them were at acute risk due to their underlying health conditions. The petition for the release was filed by the Brooklyn Defender Services. U.S. District Court Judge Analisa Torres agreed with…
Buzzfeed: An ICE Detainee Who Was Released After Getting The Coronavirus Fears What’s Next: “This Has Hit My Whole Body”
“For weeks, immigrant advocates have pushed ICE to release certain immigrants with underlying medical issues from the facilities and to scale back arrests, saying detention facilities were ripe for mass infections and casualties. There are currently more than 38,000 immigrants in ICE custody within private and local jails. So far, the agency has not changed…
NJ.com: Judge frees 10 ICE detainees with health issues to protect them from coronavirus
“In a similar effort, two New York legal groups, The Legal Aid Society and The Bronx Defenders, also filed action recently to free seven ICE detainees in New Jersey and New York jails who are at “imminent risk” of COVID-19 because of their age or underlying health conditions.” Read the full article here
Quartz: Why ICE’s coronavirus response is so dangerous
“These recent events make me think of people like Ousman Darboe, a longtime Bronx, New York resident, husband, and father, currently jailed at Bergen County Jail, whom ICE has kept locked up in civil immigration confinement since 2017. ICE claims he’s a public safety risk, even after governor Andrew Cuomo granted a pardon of his sole criminal conviction,…
LexBlog: NYC Public Defenders Issue Statement Condemning ICE Inaction on Coronavirus Threat at Detention Centers
(NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, and The Bronx Defenders – New York City’s defender organizations providing free legal in representation to detained immigrants through the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) – today released the following statement in response to news of the first ICE detainee testing positive for…
Buzzfeed: An ICE Detainee Has Become The First To Test Positive For The Coronavirus
“On March 6, the Bronx Defenders, a public defender nonprofit, sent a letter to the Bergen County Jail pushing for more information on how clients with underlying medical issues would be treated and calling for the release of ICE detainees from the facility. The group represents more than two dozen ICE detainees currently at the…
The Appeal: ‘Is My Life Not As Valuable As Yours?’ Immigration Judges Want All Courts Shut Down As Coronavirus Cases Soar
“The Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies are intersecting with a highly contagious disease at a time when New York State leads the nation with at least 20,875 confirmed coronavirus cases. In New York on Friday, Attorney General Letitia James joined Bitta Mostofi, New York City’s commissioner of Immigrant Affairs, in calling for a shutdown of…
The Intercept: If Coronavirus Deaths Start Piling Up In Rikers Island Jails, We’ll Know Who To Blame
“It remains possible that the blooming epidemic on Rikers Island will not turn into a catastrophe of mass fatalities. Medical teams are working hard in city jails and, with any luck, they will be able to save lives. If people do die on Rikers, however, it won’t be because the public officials with the power…
Gay City News: Advocates Demand Help for Vulnerable Prisoners, Homeless Folks
“There is also attention on the plight of individuals in custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which was already tied to poor living conditions before the coronavirus outbreak. The Bronx Defenders and the Legal Aid Society on March 23 filed for a temporary restraining order intended to bring about the release of ICE clients who…
Patch: Stuck In Jail During A Pandemic: Coronavirus Hits NJ Prisons
“According to the groups – The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services and The Bronx Defenders – the inmates are rallying against “egregious conditions” and inaction by ICE to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “Among reports of egregious conditions, we have heard that ICE is not responding to medical sick calls and that there are…
Tuscon Sentinel: How federal agencies put immigrants and immigration workers at risk amid coronavirus outbreak
“As USCIS kept most of its offices open Monday, immigrants and their lawyers were left waiting for appointments in often crowded lobbies. While new decisions continued to be issued by the hour, the lack of aggressive action raisedthe prospect that the virus will gain a foothold in detention centers just as public health leaders are…
Slate: Harvey Weinstein Reportedly Tests Positive for COVID-19 as Virus Spreads in NY Jails
“News of Weinstein’s diagnosis comes as at least 38 people have tested positive for coronavirus inside New York City jails. Jacqueline Sherman, the interim chairwoman of the New York City Board of Correction, sent a letter to state and city officials on Saturday detailing that 21 inmates, 12 Department of Corrections employees, and five Central Health…
Vice: 2 Coronavirus Cases Confirmed in New Jersey Prison with ICE Detainees
“The news comes amid reports of a growing number of COVID-19 cases inside correctional facilities in the New York City area. At least 38 people on Rikers Island — both inmates and employees — have tested positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. ICE detainees at the Hudson County jail and two other…