“Orayne came to the U.S. from Jamaica as a young teenager, and struggled with homelessness while still in high school in Bed-Stuy. Despite living in a homeless shelter, he persevered and went on to become Valedictorian and to obtain his B.A. and M.S.W. degrees. Upon graduating, Orayne joined The Bronx Defenders who provide comprehensive legal…
“Niji Jain, an attorney at The Bronx Defenders said, “A few weeks or months of sitting in inhumane ICE detention facilities can be dangerous and devastating for individuals and their families. The Court’s ruling recognizes that prompt access to an immigration judge is a fundamental right — one that is all the more important when detention…
“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…
FEDERAL COURT RULES THAT DETAINED IMMIGRANTS MUST RECEIVE TIMELY ACCESS TO JUDGES Ruling Creates 10-Day Requirement, is First in the Nation to Establish Presentment Standards In Immigration Court FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 30, 2020 MEDIA CONTACT: Peter Markowitz, Cardozo Immigration Justice Clinic, peter.markowitz@yu.edu, 718-877-8817 Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, media@bronxdefenders.org, 917-635-4326 Ben Schaefer, NYCLU, media@nyclu.org,…
“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…
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** November 30, 2020 CONTACT Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) (NEW YORK, NY) – Today, The Bronx Defenders, along with partner advocacy organizations, announced the launch of the ‘Health is Justice’ Litigation Hub, a powerful tool that will allow lawyers, journalists, academics, and advocates to access vital information about the impact of…
“This is the reality of Hudson County’s collaboration with ICE. It is why 61 immigrant-justice organizations just issued a statement calling for the end of the contract, in a coalition led in part by Freedom for Immigrants, which has been instrumental in ending similar contracts in California and elsewhere. It is why the legal service providers of…
November 23, 2020 Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services (Dball@bds.org) Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society (RHaskins@legal-aid.org) Sam McCann, The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) Lupe Todd-Medina, New York County Defender Services (LToddmedina@nycds.org) ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYC Defenders Renew Call for Urgent Reforms of the Criminal Legal System Following…
“When COVID-19 first surged, ACS scrambled to protect both staff and children as virus cases started to pop up in detention facilities. To date, seven kids have tested positive between Crossroads and Horizon, the city’s two largest facilities, according to ACS. No teachers were initially “actually teaching classes” and education consisted “solely of worksheets and computerized packets,”…
“The New York City Bar Association today starting at 11:30 a.m. is hosting a discussion of proposals to address historic problems with the policing of Black and Hispanic communities in the city. Present will be representatives from the NYPD, the Mayor’s Office, Bronx Defenders and Communities United for Police Reform. The discussion will be in…
“Yet advocates say that a drug test is frequently and unfairly used as a kind of parenting test. “Often what we see when there is a positive toxicology with a parent — that is pathologized,” said Miriam Mack, policy counsel for the family defense practice at The Bronx Defenders. “It’s held up as an indictment…
November 17, 2020 NYIFUP Statement About Hudson County’s Contract with ICE The New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) provides free, high-quality representation to detained people facing deportation in New York City. Our clients are New Yorkers who are detained in county jails that include the Hudson County Jail in New Jersey. NYIFUP is run…
“Bronx Defenders, a pro bono attorney service, has sued the NYPD over its use of mug shots to build its facial recognition database, in violation of a 1976 law that keeps mug shots sealed. Facial recognition software was recently used to identify Derrick Ingram, a Black Lives Matter protester who quickly found himself besieged by dozens of NYPD officers….
“This is New York City I’m hearing everything. Everyone has an opinion and that’s the great thing… we’re hearing everything and that’s the most important thing, giving people a voice, hearing them,” Shea said. “Now we have to turn it into action in terms of what can we learn? This is just phase one. I…
“Teachers in schools are still calling ACS when our clients’ children failed to log on for remote learning,” said attorney Miriam Mack of The Bronx Defenders. “But we know and we’ve seen in the news media that white parents can and do opt out of remote learning without fear of ACS intervention.” Read the full…
“What are some of your proudest recent achievements? Creating a cross-practice, interdisciplinary policy team at The Bronx Defenders with advocates from the criminal defense, family defense, immigration, and civil action practices. This team coordinates with our communications and organizing divisions and has drafted legislation, testified at dozens of hearings, and held community education events. Getting…
“The city council says it will earmark $28.4 million toward immigration services — funds that will help provide free legal services navigating the citizenship application process, among other services. The funding comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s attempts to raise citizenship application fees from $640 to $1,160 — an increase intended to go…
“For decades, public defenders felt like they were yelling into the void. They raised issues, they fought for them, and they were proud of their victories. All the while, they knew that in order to deliver true, meaningful justice, they could not do it alone. They needed partners. The New York Giants became one of…
“Former wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Victor Cruz moderated a discussion between Giants players and The Bronx Defenders as part of the Team of Teams initiative.” Watch the full video here
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Bronx Defenders Urge City and State Officials to Assist Incarcerated People with Stimulus Check Applications Nationwide Injunction Issued Recently Found that Incarcerated People Are Entitled to Benefits October 5, 2020 Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) (NEW YORK, NY) – A federal court ruled that thousands of incarcerated people and their children…
“This year, the New York Giants are a team of teams. During an unprecedented offseason, players and coaches split themselves into nine groups, each one paired with an organization in a dedicated region within New York and New Jersey. These community partners have a focus on racial injustice, criminal justice reform, education and economic advancement,…
“Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, who heads a civil rights unit at Bronx Defenders, said she won’t celebrate “unless and until Bronx residents living in private buildings are free from police harassment.” “The NYPD has a history of dismantling a program only to redeploy the same practice in new packaging,” she said. “It will be important to…
“We represent dozens of protesters from that night on claims against the NYPD,” said Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, managing director of impact litigation at the Bronx Defenders. “Our clients were all trapped before the curfew,” Borchetta said. “They were trapped to such a degree that people reported that they couldn’t breathe. Then police descended on a…
“Bronx Defenders Chief of Staff Caines said he was working on decarceration for some time before bail reform. He said the early releases, in November and December, were frequent, favoring those who he said shouldn’t have been incarcerated anyway. In January, releases from Rikers made some fear an impending crime wave, but it didn’t happen,…
“Human Rights Watch analyzed 155 videos that were recorded during the protest, some of which were posted on social media and others that were shared directly with Human Rights Watch. We also reviewed social media posts related to the protest and police scanner recordings from the 40th and 41st precincts on the evening of June…