Immigration Attorney Sarah Deri Oshiro gave testimony to the New York City Council

In the 2010 case Padilla v. Kentucky, the Supreme Court ruled that criminal defense attorneys must explain the potential immigration consequences of criminal case dispositions to their clients. This past week, the New York City Council Committee on Immigration heard testimony regarding attorney compliance with the ruling in Padilla. Bronx Defenders Immigration Attorney Sarah Deri Oshiro spoke before the committee in order to share how The Bronx Defenders has integrated immigration services into its interdisciplinary team model of holistic defense. As Ms. Deri Oshiro explained, “Working together, each non-citizen client, criminal defense attorney and immigration attorney reviews the client’s complete immigration  background and criminal history, identifies the risks of deportation stemming from past or present criminal justice involvement, and ultimately reduces the chance of triggering a deportation case that could otherwise tear our client from his family and community.” During her testimony, Ms. Deri Oshiro recounted the stories of two of her clients who faced enmeshed penalties as a result of their immigration status, and how The Bronx Defenders’ model of holistic defense was able to mitigate those consequences.

See the full testimony here: Testimony City Council Oversight Hearing Padilla