ICE is arresting parents on their way to school drop-off and raiding homes in the early morning. And now, they are even detaining local elected officials who stand in opposition.
No one is off-limits. The sense of danger in our communities is palpable.
Donald Trump is tearing at the moral fabric of our country. Federal law enforcement are dismantling due process. And unidentified goons are spreading fear while they strip immigrant neighbors of their rights.
Right now, in New York City, more than 275,000 immigrants have open cases before immigration judges—and over 40% of them don’t have a lawyer. In Manhattan, that number has spiked to over 80% since February, leaving them with daunting odds. This is no accident. It’s the result of the federal government’s cruel immigration agenda, a highly coordinated and cruel attack intended to exploit our deepest fears. It’s a system designed to break people, and we must do everything in our power to stop it.
Legal representation is often the deciding factor between a parent being deported or staying to raise their children. Asylum seekers with lawyers are twice as likely to win their case. For children, the stakes are even higher: toddlers as young as two are forced to face trained government attorneys. Without legal help, only 15% of them avoid deportation. With a lawyer, that number jumps to 90%.
My office has organized “Know Your Rights” trainings and information cards (you can pick yours up at my office at 431 West 125th Street), and these are a vital first step. But knowing your rights will only get you so far if you don’t have representation in court.
New York City has important tools to protect people. The Immigration Opportunity Initiative (IOI) provides legal services to low-income immigrants to help get them on the path to citizenship or permanent residence. The New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) and ICARE provide representation for detained adults, children, and asylum-seeking families. ActionNYC provides access to safe and professional legal help stationed in New York Public Library locations across the city. And when ICE shows up with or without warning, the Rapid Response Legal Collaborative (RRLC) mobilizes attorneys, pushing back against unlawful arrests.
These programs have been a front line of defense. They’ve kept families together, secured asylum for survivors of violence, and pushed back against unlawful ICE arrests. But they are underfunded and overwhelmed, lacking resources required to keep pace with the need.
The Mayor’s proposed budget falls far short, with caseloads mounting and Trump’s enforcement escalating. Every day we spend waiting to take action could make the difference between a family staying together or being torn apart.
First, let’s act with urgency to ensure we have lawyers in courtrooms now. That means paying legal service providers promptly and in full and ensuring that these vital programs have the necessary funding to meet the moment.
Second, we must vastly increase funding for these vital services. We need to scale up our investment in programs like IOI, NYIFUP, ICARE, ActionNYC, and the Rapid Response Legal Collaborative to meet the real scope of this crisis. The total need is $170 million—and every dollar will make the difference between a child growing up with their parents or being forced into a life of fear and separation.
Last week, Comptroller Lander released a report highlighting the importance of these programs and the need to fund them fully. On Tuesday, he was detained by ICE for standing up for the rights of the same immigrant New Yorkers who desperately need these services.
New York must act. It shouldn’t require a citywide elected official to lock arms with people at immigration hearings to protect them.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: in a city of immigrants, due process should not depend on the size of your wallet. The time to invest in legal defense is now.
If you need help with immigration policy questions or referrals to free city-funded immigration legal services, please call The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365, or call 311 and say “Immigration Legal“, between 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday to Friday. You can also visit their website at nyc.gov/immigrants.
