Tag: covid-19
The Chronicle of Social Change: Parents’ Foster Care Placement Challenges Need Quick Resolutions, New York Appeals Court Rules
“During testimony in Albany in November, Emma Ketteringham, managing attorney of Bronx Defenders’ Family Defense Practice said the problems include too few judges and a lack of evening and weekend courtroom hours. “As a result, families are separated needlessly and kept separated for longer than necessary,” she told lawmakers. Pandemic-related court closures have exacerbated those delays for the foreseeable […]
MySanAntonio: Advocates call for canceling court fees, fines; reinstating drivers’ licenses
“According to the Driven by Justice Coalition, New York issued nearly 1.7 million driver’s license suspensions for traffic debt during a 28-month period between 2016 and 2018. Nearly 75 percent of those with suspended licenses drive anyway, said Ranit Patel of The Bronx Defenders, a nonprofit public defender organization. The calls to suspend fines and […]
Women’s Media Center: Closed courts create anguish for families separated by child welfare system
“In states with shelter-in-place orders, most courts have been closed or able to hear only limited types of cases, with devastating consequences for some families. The lack of access to courts has delayed reunifications for families with children in foster care, and has caused difficulties for child custody arrangements in domestic violence cases. The outsized […]
NY1: Protesters Demand Release of Queensboro Correctional Facility Prisoners
“Advocates held a rally outside Queensboro Correctional Facility demanding the release all state prisoners who are within one year of their release date. The protest, which included former inmates, prison health experts and advocacy organizations, is part of a larger call to release prisoners in order to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Read the […]
NY1: ICE obligado a liberar 5 inmigrantes en riesgo de contraer Covid-19
“En su decisión, la magistrada indicó que como no se aseguran los protocolos de higiene y salud en medio de la pandemia, los inmigrantes son expuestos a un alto riesgo de enfermarse gravemente o morir. Lo cual, dijo, equivale a una pena o castigo extremo bajo las normas del debido proceso. La demanda fue presentada […]
Amsterdam News: Five medically vulnerable immigrants are released from ICE detention, but thousands still detained during pandemic
“Many attorneys and legal offices continue demanding that all immigrants be released. Releasing people from immigration detention can protect their lives, the lives of staff, and public health. A growing number of courts around the country have ordered the immediate release of medically vulnerable individuals. Courts are recognizing both the enormous risk of harm that […]
Hudson County View: Federal judge orders release of 5 ICE detainees, including 2 from Hudson County jail
“U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo described the Bergen and Hudson County jails as “the epicenter of the [corona]virus in New Jersey” in her decision made on Easter Sunday. The ACLU, the Legal Aid Society, and the Bronx Defenders, represented the petitions in this matter. “We are thankful for the court’s clear message: that COVID-19 poses […]
Legal Aid, Bronx Defenders, ACLU Win Immediate Release of Five Medically-Vulnerable Immigrants in ICE Detention, Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
April 13, 2020 CONTACTS: Alejandra Lopez, The Legal Aid Society, ailopez@legal-aid.org Ryan Karerat, The Bronx Defenders, rkarerat@bronxdefenders.org Hanna Johnson, ACLU, HJohnson@aclu.org ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Legal Aid, Bronx Defenders, ACLU Win Immediate Release of Five Medically-Vulnerable Immigrants in ICE Detention, Amid COVID-19 Pandemic (NEW YORK, NY) –The Legal Aid Society, The Bronx Defenders, and The […]
New York Daily News: ‘I just want to hug my family and be able to grieve;’ ‘I have so much that I need to catch up on;’ ‘I miss the old normal.’ New Yorkers look ahead to end of coronavirus quarantine
“When this is over, I’ll go to Lupita’s Restaurant around the corner from The Bronx Defenders, order one of every taco, then bring it back to a conference room where I’ll brainstorm with my team and relish the banter that’s impossible on a screen.” Read the full article here
Filter Magazine: NY Gov. Cuomo Signs Away Bail Reforms Despite COVID-19 Decarceration Calls
“After the reforms took effect, criminal justice experts found they were working well in keeping people out of jail. “People were going home to their families and their jobs and their kids, not spending time in a jail cell,” Scott Levy of the Bronx Defenders told Filter. “The sky was not falling. There was a ton […]