Senator Brad Hoylman and Assembly member Catalina Cruz are introducing a new bill that would provide free attorneys to migrants facing deportation.
As thousands of human beings are shipped across the country like cattle and the city is overwhelmed by the staggering numbers, the lives of asylum seekers are stuck in the middle. Having already faced the unimaginable to arrive stateside, only to then be packed up and sent away, two politicians are seeking to ensure they are able to remain here after all they endured.
Hoylman and Cruz are looking to amend the Access to Representation Act, which would ensure the state assists all New Yorkers facing deportation, whether they are people who have recently arrived in the state or immigrants who have been New Yorkers for decades. This would be the first act in the nation to create a state right to a lawyer for people facing deportation who cannot afford representation.
“For an immigrant facing deportation, having an attorney on their case is not a luxury – it can be a matter of life or death. It can be the difference between someone staying in New York or being permanently separated from their family. I’m proud to introduce the amended Access to Representation Act, which will provide due process to all New Yorkers and bring some fairness to our broken immigration system. President Trump may be out of office, but we are still dealing with the aftermath of his administration’s failed policies – as well as new challenges resulting from the shameless actions of border state governors. I’m glad to be working with my colleague and co-sponsor, Assembly Member Catalina Cruz, and proud to have the support of this broad, diverse coalition as we fight together for this critical legislation,” Senator Hoylman said.
This proposed legislation comes as the humanitarian crisis grows ever worse with a migrant mother having killed herself within a Queens shelter and the city preparing to establish a temporary Response and Relief Center at Orchard Beach in the Bronx. With so many at risk, these individuals are currently not guaranteed a right to counsel and instead without the funds to obtain representation would be pitted against a government lawyer alone.
The legislation is supported by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), Immigrant ARC, and the Vera Institute of Justice in partnership with over 100 organizations, legal service providers, and elected officials to call on New York State to advance universal representation, and full funding for legal and social services for everyone facing deportation in the state.
“New York must have the infrastructure in place to support asylum seekers as they arrive in our state, as well as our long-term immigrant neighbors. That means providing lawyers to keep families together. As thousands of immigrants statewide face deportation without a secured right to an attorney, their ability to get a fair shot at justice greatly diminishes. If our friends, our neighbors, and our loved ones cannot afford a lawyer, they are left to fight a complex immigration system on their own. In New York, due process of law should not be an optional concept. Our new bill seeks to right this wrong by ensuring that the promises made by our Constitution are provided to everyone, not simply those who are able to afford it,” Assemblymember Catalina Cruz said.
