New York Coalition Calls for $150 Million Investment in Immigrant Legal Services and Passage of Access to Representation Act to Keep Families Together

Elected officials joined the CARE for Immigrant Families coalition, legal services providers and asylum seekers in New York to support a $150 million investment in legal services for immigrants.

This investment is critical to helping ensure that families stay together and that newcomers have the resources they need to fight their immigration case and gain access to work permits.

Advocates also called for passage of the Access to Representation Act (ARA), the first bill in the country that would establish the right to counsel in immigration courts, expanding the same representation rights already available in criminal proceedings. The ARA has received support from the New York State Bar Association, major unions, 125 nonprofit and community organizations, and more than 100 elected officials across the state, including Attorney General Letitia James.

Immigrant New Yorkers who cannot afford to hire an attorney are currently forced to represent themselves in court, regardless of their age or language skills, against trained government attorneys.

Studies show that immigrants with legal representation are 10.5 times more likely to obtain their right to remain in the United States, making it more important than ever for legislative leaders to fund legal services and help keep immigrant families intact. .

With an estimated backlog of 330,000 immigration cases pending in New York, policymakers must prioritize increasing the capacity of legal services providers and investing in infrastructure that provides long-term sustainability to our legal system.

Sponsored by State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz, passage of the ARA will help thousands of New Yorkers stay home with their families, contributing to our economy and striving to achieve the American Dream.

“Every day, thousands of immigrants across the state face the possibility of being deported without due process of law and without a meaningful opportunity to be heard. That’s because our immigration court system does not provide equal opportunities for justice for low-income people. If they cannot afford a lawyer, they are left to fight a complex immigration system alone,” said Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz, District 39.

“Immigration is a central part of New York’s history, yet our immigration courts are in a state of disarray. There are currently about 330,000 cases pending in New York State immigration courts and less than half of those people have attorneys representing them. This is unacceptable as it goes against the spirit of the Sixth Amendment and New York State’s constitutional right to an attorney. The need for continued investment in our immigration system and our legal immigration system is needed now more than ever,” said Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal.

“New York lawmakers have repeatedly referred to the rise in the number of immigrants seeking asylum as a ‘crisis,’ but the only reason this is a ‘crisis’ is because our government is making it one,” mentioned Camille Mackler, Executive Director, ARCO Immigrante. “Our state administration has chosen to respond to this moment by putting legal services providers in an endless cycle of rapid response rather than funding long-term immigration legal services. “It is clear that providing access to long-term immigration services is the best way to ensure that immigrants can obtain long-term status, work authorization and access to resources that include them in our cultural, civic and economic life,” he added. the official

2024-03-14 18:19:01
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