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Redefining public defense.

The Bronx Defenders New York Immigrant Family Unity Project

Ousman Darboe

Ousman Darboe is a 28-year-old undocumented Black Muslim man who arrived in the United States from the Gambia as a six-year-old. Fordham Heights in The Bronx has been his home ever since.  On July 31, 2017, ICE conducted an early morning raid on Mr. Darboe’s home and arrested him, taking him away from his home…

Immigration Advocates Condemn “Disappearance” of Detained Clients After Sudden ICE Transfers, Refusal to Provide Any Information

June 7, 2021 Contacts: Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, AILopez@legal-aid.org, 917-294-9348 Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org Yatziri Tovar, Make the Road New York, yatziri.tovar@maketheroadny.org, 917-771-2818 ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Immigration Advocates Condemn “Disappearance” of Detained Clients After Sudden ICE Transfers, Refusal to Provide Any Information   In Letter to…

NYIFUP Urges Enactment of the Dignity Not Detention Act in New York State

May 20, 2020 Contacts: Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, AILopez@legal-aid.org, 917-294-9348 Daniel Ball Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYIFUP Urges Enactment of the Dignity Not Detention Act in New York State Proposed Legislation Would End Immigration Detention Contracts with ICE in New York State (New York,…

The New York Immigrant Family Unity Project Demands Answers on Vaccination Plan for Detained Immigrants

March 11, 2021 Contacts: Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, AILopez@legal-aid.org, 917-294-9348 Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** The New York Immigrant Family Unity Project Demands Answers on Vaccination Plan for Detained Immigrants (New York, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, and The…

The Intercept: “Dying of Cold”: ICE Detainees Freezing In Southern Prisons

“Sophia Elena Gurulé, immigration policy counsel at the Bronx Defenders, said it’s typical for such concerns to be ignored. “As recent as two days ago we heard complaints from our clients, people detained at Bergen County Jail, that there are ongoing problems with the heat,” she said. “The Bronx Defenders and the providers that issued that statement have been…

DocumentedNY: Cuomo Approves COVID-19 Vaccine for Food Delivery and Restaurant Workers

“The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services and The Bronx Defenders are demanding Immigration and Customs Enforcement release immigrant detainees following a U.S. Department of Homeland Security memo put out on Jan. 20. The memo demands ICE prioritize national security, then border security, then public safety when embarking on enforcement actions, including when deciding which…

Immigration Advocates Demand Release of People in Detention in Light of New ICE Guidance

February 4, 2021 Contacts: Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, AILopez@legal-aid.org, 917-294-9348 Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Immigration Advocates Demand Release of People in Detention in Light of New ICE Guidance In Letter to ICE Field Office, Defense Attorneys and Advocates Call for the Release…

Public Defenders, Advocates Sue New York, Claim Vaccine Denial Violates Constitutional Rights of Incarcerated People

Public Defenders, Advocates Sue New York, Claim Vaccine Denial Violates Constitutional Rights of Incarcerated People February 4, 2021 CONTACT Sam McCann, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (smccann@ndsny.org) Arianna Fishman, New York Civil Liberties Union (afishman@nyclu.org) Redmond Haskins, The Legal Aid Society (rhaskins@legal-aid.org) Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org) Daniel Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services (Dball@bds.org)  (NEW…

Letter to ICE Re: Release of people from ICE custody pursuant to January 20 memorandum

February 3, 2021 Via Email only – thomas.decker@ice.dhs.gov  Thomas Decker Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 201 Varick Street New York, NY 10014 Re: Release of people from ICE custody pursuant to January 20 memorandum Dear Director Decker, We write on behalf of the three NYIFUP programs at Brooklyn Defender Services,…

NYIFUP Letter Re: Bergen County Jail’s Lack of Heat

January 29, 2021 Via Email only – thomas.r.decker@dhs.ice.gov   Thomas Decker Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 201 Varick Street New York, NY 10014   Dear Director Decker,   We have received several alarming reports over the last 36 hours from clients at Bergen County  Jail that there is no heat in various…

NYIFUP Condemns ICE for Heat Outage at Bergen County Jail on Coldest Day in Tri-State in Two Years

January 29, 2020 Contacts: Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, AILopez@legal-aid.org, 917-294-9348 Daniel Ball Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYIFUP Condemns ICE for Heat Outage at Bergen County Jail on Coldest Day in Tri-State in Two Years   (New York, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender…

NYIFUP Statement on Egregious Treatment of Immigrants on Hunger Strike in ICE Detention

January 8, 2020 Contacts: Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, AILopez@legal-aid.org, 917-294-9348 Daniel Ball Brooklyn Defender Services, dball@bds.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** NYIFUP Statement on Egregious Treatment of Immigrants on Hunger Strike in ICE Detention  Attorneys Demand Transparency from Jail Officials and Release of All Immigrants in ICE Custody (New…

NYIFUP Statement on Detained Immigrants’ Hunger Strike and New COVID-19 Outbreak in Hudson County Jail

(New York, NY) – This week, Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, and The Legal Aid Society – New York City’s defender organizations providing free legal representation to detained immigrants through the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) – received multiple reports from people served by the program of an ongoing hunger strike in…

NYIFUP Statement About Hudson County’s Contract with ICE

November 17, 2020 NYIFUP Statement About Hudson County’s Contract with ICE  The New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) provides free, high-quality representation to detained people facing deportation in New York City. Our clients are New Yorkers who are detained in county jails that include the Hudson County Jail in New Jersey. NYIFUP is run…

The Riverdale Press: Council funds help for immigrants

“The city council says it will earmark $28.4 million toward immigration services — funds that will help provide free legal services navigating the citizenship application process, among other services. The funding comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s attempts to raise citizenship application fees from $640 to $1,160 — an increase intended to go…

Patch: Reports Of AC Failure At Bergen County Jail As Heat Wave Hits NJ

“The Bergen County Sheriff’s Department reports that temperatures inside the Bergen County jail are currently between 70 and 73 degrees. A group of immigration attorneys say that’s a lie. As temperatures touch the mid-90s, the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project and their legal providers continue to call for the release of their clients held…

Attorneys for Detained Immigrants Demand Their Release from Bergen County Jail Amid Heat Wave and Reports of Broken Air Conditioning

July 27, 2020 CONTACTS: Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, 917-294-9348, AILopez@legal-aid.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, 917-635-4326, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org Dan Ball, Brooklyn Defender Services, 203-213-9303, dball@bds.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** (NEW YORK, NY) – The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, and The Bronx Defenders – New York City’s defender organizations providing free legal representation to…

Bronx Defenders Statement on DACA Decision

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***  Bronx Defenders Statement on DACA Decision  June 18, 2020  CONTACT Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders (RKarerat@bronxdefenders.org) (NEW YORK, NY) – Sarah Deri Oshiro, Managing Director of the Immigration Practice at The Bronx Defenders, issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision Thursday blocking the Trump Administration from ending the…

Quartz: Why ICE’s coronavirus response is so dangerous

“These recent events make me think of people like Ousman Darboe, a longtime Bronx, New York resident, husband, and father, currently jailed at Bergen County Jail, whom ICE has kept locked up in civil immigration confinement since 2017. ICE claims he’s a public safety risk, even after governor Andrew Cuomo granted a pardon of his sole criminal conviction,…