Imagine establishing a life, a profession and a family in a new country after fleeing violence and instability thousands of miles away. Then imagine facing the terrifying prospect of that stability being ripped away from you and your family as you are forced to navigate a complex court system that you don’t understand — without any legal help.
While the nation’s immigration court system has always been slow moving and impenetrable, immigrants face a unique level of hardship when it comes to their life-or-death cases. Not only are they not guaranteed the right to an attorney, but obtaining a work permit alone will take about two years. This means that people’s ability to support themselves, let alone hire an attorney, is pushed further down the line. By passing the landmark Access to Representation Act (S999/A170), New York state would give immigrant families a fighting chance to win their cases and continue to build their lives in the communities they call home.Â
Across the state, legal service providers are far past capacity, unable to take on any new cases. This has a profound effect on the number of people abandoned in our court system. In 2021, our legal service provider members were able to help the cases of 18,530 individuals in need of services — but it’s currently estimated that over 60,000 New Yorkers are fending for their lives in immigration courts without representation.Â
While this may seem shocking, it is unsurprising to many legal service providers across New York. Our immigration legal system is cruel and dehumanizing, and legal service provider caseloads are at their limits, leaving those most endangered to fend for themselves against trained government lawyers in prolonged legal battles.Â
We’ve secured historic investments in legal and social services funding in this year’s one-house budgets. It’s now up to Gov. Kathy Hochul to honor her…
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