“In September, Human Rights Watch published a 99-page report focused on one of the dozens of incidents covered in the lawsuit: the NYPD’s June 4 planned assault on protesters in Mott Haven, a low-income, majority Black and brown neighborhood in the South Bronx that has long experienced police brutality and systemic racism. A video produced by Human Rights Watch…
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Bronx Defenders Statement on Gov. Cuomo’s State of the State January 14, 2021 CONTACT Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) (NEW YORK, NY) – Governor Andrew Cuomo today delivered his 2021 State of the State Address, outlining his key priorities ahead of the new legislative session. Scott Levy, Chief Policy Counsel for…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 13, 2021 MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Ibarra – San Francisco Public Defender’s Office – (628)249-7946 – Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org Lindsey Hortenstine – New Orleans Public Defender’s Office – (404)520-3087 – LHoretnstine@opdla.org **PRESS RELEASE** Public Defenders Nationwide Announce Plan for Immigration Justice; Provide Ten-Point Plan to Biden Administration Public Defenders Urge Federal Government to Take Bold Steps to…
The Bronx Defenders’ Policy Brief Outlining Executive Actions for the Biden Administration to Repair the Immigration Harms of the Trump Presidency.
January 8, 2020 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*** NYIFUP Statement on Egregious Treatment of Immigrants on Hunger Strike in ICE Detention Attorneys Demand Transparency from Jail Officials and Release of All Immigrants in ICE Custody (New…
“Legisladores como Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nydia Velásquez y Ritchie Torres calificaron el ataque al Congreso de EEUU como indignante. Por su parte, Andrew Cuomo señaló que se trató de un “intento fallido de golpe de estado”, mientras que Bill de Blasio responsabilizó a Trump de lo ocurrido y de “atacar nuestra democracia”. Los neoyorquinos también han…
“Correctional Health Services said tests are offered following potential exposure, for disease surveillance or at a patient’s request. But Ann Matthews, managing director of the criminal defense practice at Bronx Defenders, said those in jail still do not have any control over their surroundings and “are at the mercy of others for basic PPE and…
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** January 6, 2021 CONTACT Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) (NEW YORK, NY) – Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced his proposal for marijuana legalization as a part of his 2021 State of the State address. Eli Northrup, Policy Counsel for the Criminal Defense Practice at The Bronx Defenders, issued the following reaction: …
“Parental designation is a legal option in New York that allows a parent to designate someone you trust to temporarily take care of your child, while maintaining your parental rights and without ACS becoming involved. Here, Jessica Prince, Policy Counsel for the Family Defense Practice at The Bronx Defenders explains how parental designation works and why you…
“It has taken months for the city to acknowledge what was clear to anyone paying attention this summer: the NYPD’s handling of the protests amounted to an unconscionable, calculated, and violent attack on the entire city. The report lays out a clear picture of a police department that does not see itself as accountable to…
“But a failure to appear in court is connected to poverty as well. People who can’t pay a traffic ticket may also not be able to take time off work to go to court, or may be unable to arrange child care. Those who can afford it can pay off their fines without the need to show…
Statement from Driven By Justice Coalition: Gov. Cuomo Signs Driver’s License Suspension Reform Act Compromise Reached With Gov. Cuomo to End License Suspensions for People Unable to Pay a Traffic Fine January 4, 2020 CONTACT Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org Jag Davies, Fines and Fees Justice Center, jdavies@ffjc.us NEW YORK – Governor Andrew Cuomo…
“Davis, then with the New York Jets, interned with the United Way in 2017. The following year, he led a rally for criminal justice reform and partnered with the Bronx Defenders — a nonprofit in New York that aims to transform how low-income people are represented in the justice system — and earned the Pursuit…
“New York’s coronavirus figures have created a nebulous view of when jury trials might return. That means criminal defendants who are locked up in pretrial detention do not have a clear view of when they will have their day in court, said Ann Mathews, managing director for the criminal defense practice at The Bronx Defenders. When…
(New York, NY) – This week, Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, and The Legal Aid Society – New York City’s defender organizations providing free legal representation to detained immigrants through the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) – received multiple reports from people served by the program of an ongoing hunger strike in…
“Those three hospitals are Montefiore, Mount Sinai, and New York-Presbyterian. This is a probe to see if these practices are discriminatory against Black and LatinX parents and their newborns. Policy Council to the Family Defense Practice at the Bronx Defenders has seen countless cases over the years of families needing legal representation–due to positive drug…
“Attorneys from the New York Civil Liberties Union and Bronx Defenders have alleged that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are violating a federal court order by continuing a “no-release” policy of detaining undocumented immigrants arrested over the last three years.” Read the full article here
“We have seen the extreme health risk and crises that are posed by continuing to keep individuals in ICE detention. There’s no ability to socially distance and engage in hygiene practices that would otherwise be intended to prevent the spread of [COVID-19],” said Sarah Deri Oshiro, the managing director of the immigration practice at Bronx Defenders,…
NEW YORK – In papers filed Friday evening, the New York Civil Liberties Union and The Bronx Defenders requested court enforcement in Velesaca v. Wolf, their case challenging the ICE New York Field Office’s use of a secret policy to jail virtually all of the thousands of people they have arrested over the last three…
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** December 18, 2020 CONTACT Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) (NEW YORK, NY) – The New York City Department of Investigation today released its report on the NYPD’s conduct during the summer’s protests against the killing of George Floyd and the endemic police violence against the Black community. Justine Olderman, Executive Director…
“New York City public defenders will be pushing for a new slate of criminal justice reforms when state lawmakers meet in the new year. The Legal Aid Society, Bronx Defenders, Brooklyn Defender Services, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, New York County Defender Services, and Queens Defenders will release a legislative agenda Thursday that calls for…
“But upon reentry into the community, Ferguson was unable to get the critical heart medication he needed. Although Correctional Health Services provided him with a prescription, his Medicaid stopped covering him for outpatient treatment while in jail, so he had no insurance to pay for it. Without any money to pay out of pocket, the pharmacist…
“Last week, the NYPD hosted a “Police Reform and Reinvention Multi-Language Listening Session” in response to Gov. Cuomo’s Executive Order, issued in August, requiring that all other police departments statewide to come up with plans to reinvent policing. If done in good faith, this initiative is an opportunity for the city to finally live up to…
“There are, of course, instances of terrible child abuse, and it’s the mission of ACS and child welfare agencies across the country to intervene. But often the child is not in danger and the caseworker has made a judgment call based only on the way the family is living. “With the vast majority of parents who…
“A few weeks or months of sitting in inhumane ICE detention facilities can be dangerous and devastating for individuals and their families,” said Niji Jain, an attorney at The Bronx Defenders. “The Court’s ruling recognizes that prompt access to an immigration judge is a fundamental right — one that is all the more important when…