Bustle: LGBTQ Asylum Seekers Need Protection From Our Government, Not Hostility
“While there’s celebration this Pride Month over how far LGBTQ rights have come, it has been a terrible year nationally for those most marginalized. The Trump administration has attacked health care access for trans folks, refused to protect queer youth, and comfortably rubbed shoulders with dictators who dehumanize LGBTQ people. Under this administration, one of the most urgent…
City Limits: “And Justice For All” Means Barring ICE from NYS Courthouses
“The “Protect Our Courts Act,” sponsored by Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages and Senator Brad Hoylman, is one way New York state can counterbalance these devastating consequences, and we have one day left in NY’s legislative session to help protect our non-citizen community members. Thomas R. Decker, field office director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New…
New York Daily News: Stop the tide of deportations: A breakthrough program can stand up for New York’s immigrants
“The three NYIFUP providers in New York City — The Bronx Defenders, the Legal Aid Society and Brooklyn Defender Services — have requested additional funding from the city. They should get it; every additional dollar going to NYIFUP will ensure universal and effective representation for immigrants with a target on their back. Elected officials in…
New York Daily News: Feds transferred over 230 undocumented immigrants detained near Mexico border to NYC-area jails
“The Trump Administration has again brought the border crisis to the New York City area. As a sanctuary city, New York has an obligation to ensure that these individuals have access to robust counsel, and NYIFUP stands ready to provide that representation. We will work with our partners at City Hall during this influx to…
NYIFUP Statement On Reporting That Over 200 Individuals Who Were Arrested Crossing Southern Border Are Now Detained At Local ICE Facilities
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** May 28, 2019 NYIFUP STATEMENT ON REPORTING THAT OVER 200 INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE ARRESTED CROSSING SOUTHERN BORDER ARE NOW DETAINED AT LOCAL ICE FACILITIES (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…
Rosa Cohen-Cruz Presented Testimony at City Council on ICE Out of New York Courts
New York City Council Committee on Immigration Jointly with the Committee on Justice System Hearing re: Oversight – ICE out of New York Courts April 10, 2019 Written Testimony of The Bronx Defenders By Rosa Cohen-Cruz Good afternoon, my name is Rosa Cohen-Cruz and I am a Padilla Supervisor in the Immigration Practice at The…
Zoe Levine Presented Testimony at City Council on Funding NYIFUP and Immigration Services
Testimony Before the New York City Council’s Committee on Immigration Regarding Council Budget March 20, 2019 Good afternoon, my name is Zoe Levine and I am the Legal Director of the Immigration Practice at The Bronx Defenders. I would like to thank the New York City Council for its consistent and generous support of immigration…
Joint Statement: New York’s Immigrant Legal Defenders Call on City for More Support to Fight Increased ICE Detention and Deportation
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** March 20, 2019 NEW YORK’S IMMIGRANT LEGAL DEFENDERS CALL ON CITY FOR MORE SUPPORT TO FIGHT INCREASED ICE DETENTION AND DEPORTATION (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)…
Documented: Immigration Hearings in New York Are Being Rescheduled Without Notice
“There have been at least two dozen clients who, only through checking the portal have we learned that their individual hearings, scheduled mostly for June, have just been unilaterally rescheduled for dates as early as next week, and there has been no notice, no phone call,” says Sarah Deri Oshiro, our Managing Director of the…
New York Law Journal: Court Dates Moved Up Without Warning, Advocates for Immigrants Claim
“According to immigration attorneys, the DOJ’s decision to unilaterally move up hearing dates fits a pattern and practice by federal authorities set on undermining legal representation for immigrants. They point to a similar set of decisions to implement video conferencing for detainees during hearings last year, which is now the subject of a federal lawsuit….
Joint Statement: NYIFUP Legal Providers On ICE Advancing Varick Street Hearings Without Notice, Effectively Stripping Immigrants of Their Due Process Rights
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** March 12, 2019 JOINT STATEMENT FROM NYIFUP LEGAL PROVIDERS ON ICE ADVANCING VARICK STREET HEARINGS WITHOUT NOTICE, EFFECTIVELY STRIPPING IMMIGRANTS OF THEIR DUE PROCESS RIGHTS (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…
Lawfare Blog: New York Lawsuit Challenges Replacement of Immigration Court Hearings with Video Technology
“The suit alleges violations of class members’ First Amendment rights to access the courts and Fifth Amendment due process rights as well as violations of provisions of the INA guaranteeing fair hearings and access to counsel during removal proceedings and the Rehabilitation Act, which requires reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities.” Read the full article…
P.L. et al. v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
On February 12, 2019, seven immigrants, representing a class of all detained immigrants in the New York City area, and the three New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) providers—Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS), The Legal Aid Society (LAS), and The Bronx Defenders (BxD)—filed a federal lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern…
Joint Statement: Detained Immigrants and NYIFUP Providers Sue ICE
*** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *** Detained Immigrants and New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) Providers Sue U.S. Government over Refusal to Produce Detained Immigrants In-Person for Deportation Hearings Lawsuit Seeks to Restore the Constitutional and Statutory Rights of Hundreds of Detained Immigrants by Ending ICE’s Blanket Use of Video Teleconferencing at Varick Street Immigration Court (NEW…
Queens Daily Eagle: DAs, Lawmakers And Advocates Rally to Freeze ICE Out of NY Courts
“ICE arrests inside and around New York courthouses increased by 1700 percent between 2016 and 2018, according to a report by the Immigrant Defense Project. Queens and Brooklyn account for the highest number of courthouse ICE arrests in the state, the report reveals.” Read more here.
DocumentedNY: Court Use of Video Teleconferencing Causes Case Slowdown
It has been five months since Immigration and Customs Enforcement has transported any immigrants to appear in person at the Varick Street immigration courts. This is taking a toll on our clients, their ability to fight their cases, and their right to due process. Our Sarah Deri Oshiro explains how some immigrants appear before a…
WNYC: Lawsuit: Immigration Detainees Wait Average 80 Days for Court Date
“Due process requires that the government give you a hearing within a few days of seizing your car,” says Niji Jain, Impact Litigation attorney at The Bronx Defenders. “And if that’s what’s required for when your car is seized, then due process certainly requires at least the same promptness when a person is themselves locked…
Vazquez Perez v. Decker
On November 15, 2018, The Bronx Defenders, Cardozo Law Immigration Justice Clinic, and New York Civil Liberties Union filed a putative class action lawsuit against the U.S. government — including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The suit challenges the unconstitutional practice of jailing immigrant New Yorkers for months…
Class Action Lawsuit Challenges Months-Long ICE Detentions Before First Court Appearance
Cardozo Law Immigration Justice Clinic, The New York Civil Liberties Union, and The Bronx Defenders file suit challenging detention of immigrants without prompt access to judges *** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *** New York, N.Y. — Cardozo Law Immigration Justice Clinic, The New York Civil Liberties Union, and The Bronx Defenders filed a putative class action lawsuit…
Documented NY: Immigrants Held in Detention for Months Without a Hearing: Lawsuit
Immigrants who are detained by ICE in New York are forced to languish behind bars for weeks and months, waiting for their first appearance before a judge. The Bronx Defenders, Cardozo School of Law, and New York Civil Liberties Union – NYCLU have filed a lawsuit against ICE and the Department of Justice challenging these egregious delays in…
NPR: County Officials Shutting ICE Out Of Local Jails
“Families and lawyers and their community are here. And the separation from those resources is critical to enabling detainees to actually win their cases and remain permanently in the United States or obtain release on bond,” says Ryan Brewer, our Supervising Attorney for Immigration. Read the entire transcript here
New York Magazine: How Donald Trump’s war on immigrants is playing out in his hometown
What does a young man persecuted in Nigeria for being gay, a Dominican woman on her honeymoon, and a South Korean pastor have in common? They all are undocumented immigrants living in New York. Every day, we hear the stories of New Yorkers who are grappling with the fear and consequences of immigration enforcement. The…
The Marshall Project: City of Fear
For many asylum seekers in New York, Trump’s immigration policies take away their futures in the US and force them back into dangerous situations. In this collaboration between New York Magazine and The Marshall Project, undocumented immigrants share their experiences with both tragedy and resilience under this administration. Attorneys from The Bronx Defenders helped contribute…
DocumentedNY: For One Man, Immigration Detention Nearly Meant Death
When Miguel Almonte was finally released from ICE detention and had emergency surgery to remove his gallstones, his doctor told him he was lucky to be alive. “If I would have stayed a little longer there, I don’t know what would have happened.” Miguel Almonte technically never lost his green card, was on disability, and…
NY1Noticias: Nueva ley en ayuda de padres que serán deportados: podrán elegir tutor para hijos
Luis Mancheno, our immigration attorney, speaks with NY1Noticias on ICE replacing in-person court appearances with video conferences, abolishing ICE, and the new standby guardianship law. “Nosotros como defensores publicos queremos que se ponga un pare a esta agencia (ICE) y que se determine una mejor forma de mantener nuestras leyes de migracion en los Estados…