This article was first published on October 23, 2015 at CQ Researcher. Is U.S. Immigrant-Detention Policy Justified? By Mizue Aizeki Deputy Director, Immigrant Defense Project Is it justifiable to imprison more than 400,000 people each year — including longtime green card holders, children and families, trafficking survivors and asylum seekers — for civil violations of immigration law? To lock them … Read more »
This article was originally published at the Huffington Post, on November 13, 2015. Judges Call for Curb on Immigration Detention, Administration Should Listen — and Act By Andrew Wachtenheim, IDP Staff Attorney The federal court decision blocking the president’s executive actions on immigration wasn’t the only significant judicial intervention in immigration policy in recent days. In late October, another court found against … Read more »
This article was originally published at Huffington Post. New York Leads the Way on Immigrant Defense By Manny Vargas Immigrants in criminal proceedings in the U.S. face the very real threat of deportation depending on how their cases come out, so it’s imperative that they get effective legal representation. Last week, New York became the first state in the nation … Read more »
IDP staff attorney Dawn Siebert is quoted in this November 8, 2015 article about a Virginia Supreme Court directive advising trial judges to warn non-citizen defendants of the possible immigration consequences of a guilty plea. Maryland’s public defenders have a full-time immigration lawyer, Johnson said. And in New York state, regional centers have been set up with immigration lawyers to serve as advisers … Read more »
IDP Executive Director Alisa Wellek is quoted in this November 5, 2015 article on the deportation of inmates being released from U.S. prisons as part of an effort to roll back harsh drug sentences. Advocates acknowledge that non-citizen convicts are unlikely to garner much public or official sympathy. Still, said Alisa Wellek, director of the New York-based Immigrant Defense Project, “these people … Read more »
IDP’s executive director Alisa Wellek is quoted in this October 30, 2015 article on a New York federal appeals court decision curbing indefinite detention without bail for certain immigrants awaiting deportation hearings. Alisa Wellek, the executive director of the Immigrant Defense Project, a legal advocacy group in New York, said that the two federal appeals courts had “sent a clear message” to the government not to let immigrants … Read more »
IDP deputy director Mizue Azeki is quoted in this December 9, 2015 article reporting that across New York City, courthouse arrests of immigrants — often focusing on individuals with felony convictions from decades ago — have become a regular occurrence. “ICE is trying to create an environment where it becomes incredibly difficult for cities to pass laws that lower their levels … Read more »