Author: BXD
Law360: ‘No Release’ Injunction In NY Could Be A Blueprint Elsewhere
“A court decision blocking the New York field office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from using its so-called “no release” policy for certain people detained before a hearing is being hailed by immigrant advocates as a key victory that could set an important standard for other parts of the country. U.S. District Judge Judge […]
Law360: New York’s About-Face On Bail Reform Wins Few Fans
“The deal that passed the Senate on Thursday night and the Assembly on Friday morning makes crimes like second-degree burglary, promoting child pornography, vehicular manslaughter and several others bail-eligible once again. In a statement Friday, a coalition of New York City public defender groups that includes the Bronx Defenders, The Legal Aid Society and Brooklyn […]
Truthout: It’s Impossible to “Distance” in ICE Detention. Doctors Say Free All Detainees.
“Experts in immigration law say that this is one of the fundamental misunderstandings people in the U.S. have about ICE detention: Despite the administration’s rhetoric, ICE does not actually have the authority to detain people in the name of public safety. The agency can only detain people for allegedly violating immigration laws. “It’s something that […]
NYC Defenders Statement On Legislative Rollback Of Bail And Discovery Reforms
April 3, 2020 Contact: Jared Chausow, Brooklyn Defender Services (JChausow@bds.org) Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org ) Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society (RHaskins@legal-aid.org) Sam McCann, The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) Lupe Todd-Medina, New York County Defender Services (LToddmedina@nycds.org) ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYC DEFENDERS STATEMENT ON LEGISLATIVE ROLLBACK OF BAIL AND DISCOVERY […]
NYC Defenders Condemn Effort To Gut Progressive Bail Reforms In Emergency Budget
April 1, 2020 Contact: Jared Chausow, Brooklyn Defender Services (JChausow@bds.org) Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society (RHaskins@legal-aid.org) Sam McCann, The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (SMccann@ndsny.org) Lupe Todd-Medina, New York County Defender Services (LToddmedina@nycds.org) ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYC DEFENDERS CONDEMN EFFORT TO GUT PROGRESSIVE BAIL REFORMS IN EMERGENCY […]
Slate: Cuomo’s Bail Reform Reversal Risks Explosive Coronavirus Spread in Jails
“The governor’s proposal also permits pretrial detention for a much wider range of offenses and allows judges to make guesses about the future “dangerousness” of a defendant (the likelihood that they will commit a new violent crime) based on the “weight of the evidence,” which flouts the presumption of innocence before a case goes to […]
The Intercept: Rikers Island Prisoners Being Offered PPE And $6 An Hour To Dig Mass Graves
“Justine Olderman, executive director of Bronx Defenders, a public defender organization, recently described the conditions at Rikers to The Intercept: “You have a situation where all the protocols that are coming out of the Centers for Disease Control cannot be enacted: There are broken sinks, there’s no hand sanitizer, people don’t have access to soap, and at […]
Politico: Public defenders raise civil rights concerns as more court proceedings move online
“But while the expansion of remotely-administered justice in New York’s criminal courts is seen by many as an important measure amid public health concerns, it is raising civil rights concerns as in-person appearances are crucial to the criminal justice process. “It creates this barrier to representation,” said Ilona Coleman, legal director of the Bronx Defenders’ […]
City Limits: Her Husband’s in ICE Custody. She Knew Something Was Wrong When He Didn’t Call.
“Many immigration courts have closed. Lawyers are not visiting detainees. And the situation now is like being in a hurricane, when the rain stops the real impact will be known,” said Francisco Collazos, Immigrant Families Together co-founder. Organizations such as Immigrant Families Together are currently working to identify how many detainees may be at greatest […]
Law360: ICE Blocked From Enforcing NY Detention Policy
“Law360, New York (March 30, 2020, 9:52 PM EDT) — A New York federal judge on Monday blocked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in New York from carrying out what immigrant advocates claim is a blanket no-release policy for certain detainees accused of civil immigration offenses. During an afternoon teleconference, U.S. District Judge Alvin […]