Press Release: The Bronx Defenders Condemns Right Wing Fear-Mongering Against Immigrants on New Way Forward Legislation 

CONTACT

Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, (347) 842-1251, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 7, 2019

NEW YORK- The Bronx Defenders today condemned smears from FOX News host Tucker Carlson and President Donald Trump in their efforts to demean immigrants and advocate against the the passage of the critical federal immigration reform bill, H.R. 5383 – the New Way Forward Act.

Sophia Gurulé, Immigration Policy Counsel with The Bronx Defenders, issued the following statement:

“Yesterday, Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) shot and hospitalized two immigrant New Yorkers. Less than 24 hours later, Fox News correspondent Tucker Carlson and the President of the United States attacked the New Way Forward legislation — a critical, federal legislative effort to undo racist, white supremacist immigration policies, including limiting deportations for criminal convictions rooted in racial profiling as well as ending mandatory immigration detention. The Bronx Defenders stands with the victims of ICE’s brutality and lawlessness and proudly supports the New Way Forward legislation.”

BACKGROUND: The New Way Forward Act was introduced in the House of Representatives in December 2019 and is supported by dozens of members of Congress and immigrant rights organizations across the country, including The Bronx Defenders, a public defender nonprofit and New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) provider. The comprehensive bill would push back against the mass incarceration of immigrants, restore due process rights for people swept up in the immigration enforcement dragnet, end federal prison prosecutions and sentences for people seeking to cross the border, and create a process for people previously deported to apply for the opportunity to return to their home, among other important provisions.