Author: BXD
New York Daily News: Public defenders call on city to invest more money in legal representation for immigrants facing deportation
The Bronx Defenders, Legal Aid Society, and Brooklyn Defender Services asked City Council for an increased budget in order to represent immigrants facing deportation at Varick Street. “The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services and Bronx Defenders will ask during a budget hearing for $16.6 million for the next fiscal year–an increase of $6.6 million.” […]
Justine Olderman Presented Testimony at City Council’s Preliminary Budget Hearing
New York City Council Committee on Justice System Preliminary Budget Hearing March 19, 2019 Testimony of The Bronx Defenders By Justine Olderman, Executive Director The Bronx Defenders provides innovative, holistic, and client-centered services to low-income people of the Bronx- these services include criminal defense, family defense, immigration representation, civil legal services, social work support and […]
The Appeal: Bronx DA Says She Wants To Reduce Overdose Deaths, But Opposes A Program That Can Help
“The failed war on drugs has shown us that we cannot arrest and punish our way out of the opioid crisis. Safe injection sites are a common sense and practical way to meet people where they are, connect them to the services they need, and hopefully prevent deaths.” Avery McNeil, our Alternatives to Incarceration specialist, […]
The Appeal: What Happens Before Police Press “Record”?
“Even if the police are giving Miranda warnings right after they hit play, it doesn’t mean they haven’t already talked to our clients about the content of the interrogation before that. And that obviously raises questions about whether pre-interrogation conversations with the police undermine the force of the Miranda rights in the first place.” Emily […]
New York Law Journal: Court Dates Moved Up Without Warning, Advocates for Immigrants Claim
“According to immigration attorneys, the DOJ’s decision to unilaterally move up hearing dates fits a pattern and practice by federal authorities set on undermining legal representation for immigrants. They point to a similar set of decisions to implement video conferencing for detainees during hearings last year, which is now the subject of a federal lawsuit. […]
New York Daily News: Everyone in immigration detention needs a lawyer: The nation should follow New York’s lead
“NYIFUP demonstrated the importance of publicly-funded deportation defense, raising the level of practice in the court and strengthening both fairness and efficiency. The Vera Institute of Justice evaluated NYIFUP, finding that 48% of immigrants succeeded in their cases, while unrepresented immigrants in the same court were successful only 4% of the time. NYIFUP also produced other benefits […]
Joint Statement: NYIFUP Legal Providers On ICE Advancing Varick Street Hearings Without Notice, Effectively Stripping Immigrants of Their Due Process Rights
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** March 12, 2019 JOINT STATEMENT FROM NYIFUP LEGAL PROVIDERS ON ICE ADVANCING VARICK STREET HEARINGS WITHOUT NOTICE, EFFECTIVELY STRIPPING IMMIGRANTS OF THEIR DUE PROCESS RIGHTS (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, and The Bronx Defenders – New York City’s defender organizations providing free legal representation through the New York Immigrant […]
Statement on the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Crystal Baker-Burr, our Education Attorney, spoke at a City Hall press conference with Organizing For Equity on the school-to-prison pipeline and how students of color are marginalized within the education system. Her speech is transcribed below. Our School Discipline System is Broken At the Bronx Defenders, I work with young people at the end of the […]
Investigative Post: A changing tide on license suspensions
The Bronx Defenders is part of a coalition with the Fines and Fees Justice Center and National Center for Law and Economic Justice to advocate for the end of suspensions over unpaid traffic fines. Traffic enforcement is disproportionately concentrated in low-income black and Latino neighborhoods, where residents often have difficulty paying tickets. New York is one of at least […]
The Legislative Gazette: Wrongfully accused push for discovery reform
“We can no longer accept a bail system that creates and entrenches wealth and race-based disparities and feeds mass incarceration; a speedy trial law that allows cases to languish without a realistic opportunity to have one’s day in court; or a discovery law that deprives the accused of access to the most basic information about […]