Sept. 6, 2018 – (New York, NY) Today, Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise announced a plan to exit a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to provide immigration detention in the county jail. Brooklyn Defender Services and Bronx Defenders released the following statement in opposition to this plan: “As attorneys representing detained immigrants…
New York City Council Committee on Criminal Justice, Committee on Justice System & Committee on Women Joint Oversight Hearing on Sexual Abuse and Harassment in City Jails September 6, 2018 Testimony of The Bronx Defenders By Deborah Lolai Good morning, Chair Lancman, Chair Powers, Chair Rosenthal and committee members. My name is Deborah Lolai and…
Settlement will ensure Bronx Courts uphold people’s constitutional rights to due process and speedy trials. ** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ** CONTACT: Anna Kim (annakim@bronxdefenders.org) 646-504-2977 AUGUST 9, 2018 NEW YORK, N.Y. — The Bronx Defenders, Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP, and Morrison & Foerster, LLP announced a settlement with the defendants in Trowbridge v….
“‘Families Belong Together’ has become the battle cry of those denouncing the Trump administration’s now-ended — but not yet rectified — policy of forcibly separating children from their parents at the border. But the truth is that, in my 10 years of experience defending people from deportation, the tactic of separating families is nothing new….
Three years ago, New York City banned solitary confinement for youth under 22. Despite these rules, eight young people are being held in solitary confinement, having been transferred upstate to a correctional facility in Albany County. Shortly after BxD client Steven Espinal, 19, arrived in the Albany County Correctional Facility, he was kicked so badly…
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…
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…
In 2017, the Bronx had more than 30% of all child removals in NYC and double the amount of emergency removals — which refers to removing children without court order, the most extreme choice a child protective agency can make — than the next highest borough. “We represent parents who are being charged with being…
Court Orders NYPD to Electronically Record All Citizen Encounters Order Calls for Pilot Program to Study Effectiveness of Documenting All Encounters Anna Kim, The Bronx Defenders, 646-504-2977, annakim@bronxdefenders.org Jen Nessel, CCR, 212-614-6449, jnessel@ccrjustice.org David Jacobs, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, 212-965-2255, djacobs@naacpldf.org July 17, 2018, New York —Today, a federal court ordered the NYPD to begin recording all…
Judge orders NYPD to enact pilot program on low-level stops By Brendan Cheney A federal judge overseeing stop-and-frisk-related cases has ordered the New York Police Department to conduct a pilot program to record lower-level encounters that don’t rise to a full police stop. The plaintiffs in the case, community advocates, and a facilitator appointed by…
“[Emergency removals] are the most traumatic for children,” says Emma Ketteringham, Managing Director of our Family Defense Practice. “They’re often done in the middle of the night, without preparation. You find out five minutes before that your child is going to be removed.” Administration for Children’s Services data shows a sharp increase in what are…
A court had ordered NYPD to begin documenting low-level investigative police-citizen encounters as part of a pilot program. We cannot ensure stop and frisk ends without turning a spotlight on NYPD activity that has long been in the darkness. “Very often, officers are responding to instances where things are not so clear,” said Jenn Rolnick…
JOINT STATEMENT FROM NAACP, LAS AND NYCLU ON NYPD’S OBJECTIONS TO STOP-AND-FRISK REFORMS The NYPD opposed many community-based recommendations for stop-and-frisk reform, arguing that they should not be ordered to implement any of them. This reform–the Joint Remedial Process–collected input from thousands of people from communities impacted by the NYPD’s practices, involving 64 focus groups…
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…
Erin Cloud, the supervising attorney for our Family Defense Practice, shares her talk from the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Summit about how the womb to fostercare pipeline separates babies from their mothers. The womb to fostercare pipeline makes it more likely for low-income, women of color to lose their children at childbirth due to prior involvement…
Every day, The Bronx Defenders represents people who are veterans, active service members, or interested in future military service. The Bronx is home to approximately 40,000 veterans, who often face unique challenges in all aspects of the justice system, whether in Criminal Court, Family Court, Housing Court, or in administrative proceedings. Many our clients come…
The Bronx Defenders recently joined the National Association for Public Defense. Our Executive Director, Justine Olderman, speaks with the NAPD on The Bronx Defenders’ holistic defense model, passionate staff, and working closely with the Bronx community. “One of the pillars of our model of holistic defense is ‘a deep connection to and understanding of the…
Wesley Caines, The Bronx Defenders’ re-entry and community outreach coordinator, spoke with the New York Times about the challenges in making sure people know about, and take advantage, of the new sealing law. A recent law in New York, which went into effect in October, allows people who have been convicted over 10 years ago…
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…
Dinah Ortiz-Adames is the Senior Parent Advocate at The Bronx Defenders, an activist and advocate, and a mother who has been through the separation from her children due to child welfare authorities. In an interview with Socialist Worker, she emphasizes how her past is now passion for her clients who are going through the same…
“Immigration detention, or caging parents and families is not the solution. The question for Americans is, is it fair to make people fleeing terrible violence choose between death and jail?” Our immigration attorney Luis Mancheno sits down with CBS News to speak about the crisis at the border and why family detention and family separation…
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** JOINT STATEMENT FROM NYIFUP LEGAL PROVIDERS ON ICE’S REFUSAL TO BRING PEOPLE TO IMMIGRATION COURT FOR HEARINGS DENYING IN-PERSON APPEARANCES WILL IMPACT DUE PROCESS, ACCESS TO COUNSEL, AND EXACERBATE SEPARATION FROM FAMILIES AND LOVED ONES Andrea Nieves, Brooklyn Defender Services, 718-483-1312, anieves@bds.org Anna Kim, The Bronx Defenders, 646-504-2977, annakim@bronxdefenders.org Redmond Haskins, The…
“The fact that someone is not physically in the courtroom really hinders a lot of the less tangible aspects of our successful representation. A judge is less able to assess a person’s credibility if they are not sitting in the room.” Sarah Deri Oshiro, Managing Director of our Immigration Practice illustrates the harmful repercussions of ICE’s refusal…
“Samuel is the father of four US-born children whose favorite place for family outings was Applebee’s. He was also a green card-holder who was facing deportation. He had come to the United States in his teens fleeing from gang violence and a life marked by severe neglect, parental abandonment, and chronic community violence. After a…
Jenny Semmel, Supervising Mental Health Attorney in our Criminal Defense Practice speaks with The Appeal about how people with mental illness can spend years trapped in the justice system because they have been found “unfit for trial” and must undergo a competency evaluation to be deemed “competent” for trial. New York’s Article 730 directly links the amount…