In response to a request for information filed by the Immigrant Defense Project (“IDP”), the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services has released data regarding arrests and prosecutions under ten misdemeanor provisions of the New York Penal Law (“NYPL”). The data set documents information regarding disposition, conviction, and sentence imposed for arrests under NYPL 120.00 (assault in the … Read more »
The war on drugs is a war on immigrants. According to the Immigrant Defense Project, one in four deportations is caused by a crime…involving people whose most serious offense was a conviction for drug-related offenses. Read more »
“All the presidential candidates should recommit the US government to the core values of justice, dignity, and “second chances” by ending the mass criminalization and deportation policies that fall most heavily on populations of color, tearing families and communities apart,” [said] Alisa Wellek, Executive Director of the Immigrant Defense Project. Read more »
“In New York, when you plead guilty to a marijuana offense in summons court, it is kind of like a factory line, where you are told it’s a non-criminal violation and you pay a fine and that’s it,” says Alisa Wellek, executive director of the New York-based Immigrant Defense Project. “But a lot of people are not being given the … Read more »
A Day-Long CLE-Accredited Seminar on the Categorical Approach, Crimes of Violence, and Particularly Serious Crimes. Register Now! Read more »
Below is a compilation of Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) resources that provide information that may be useful for criminal defense lawyers representing immigrant (noncitizen) defendants in criminal proceedings in New York State: June 27 Practice Note Updates updates to the Aggravated Felony and CSO determinations for: 220.03 (Criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree); 220.06(1) (Criminal possession of … Read more »
Due to the high demand for our services from indigent immigrants and appointed counsel, we ask private counsel to make a contribution before seeking advice. Your contribution will help sustain our consult work for all by offsetting the cost of providing you with guidance. Note that IDP recommends you consult with a tax expert about this contribution. Contributions to nonprofit … Read more »
Representing Immigrant Defendants in New York, 5th Edition Detailed, practical, straightforward, and up-to-date information to help defense attorneys Understanding and Fulfilling Your Duty to Immigrant Clients Defending Immigrants Partnership An unprecedented collaboration the country’s foremost immigration advocacy and defense organizations Criminal-Immigration Helpline Expert advice and support for immigrants and their loved ones Criminal-Immigration Roundtable IDP’s monthly meeting brings together advocates … Read more »
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In response to a request for information filed by the Immigrant Defense Project (“IDP”), the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services has released data regarding arrests and prosecutions under Section 260.10(1) of the New York Penal Law (“NYPL”), endangering the welfare of a child, a level-A misdemeanor. The data sets document arrests, dispositions, and sentences imposed; race of … Read more »
This year marks the 20th anniversary of harsh immigration laws that ushered in a devastating era of mass deportation. These laws – the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA) and the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) of 1996 – vastly expanded the pool of non-citizens marked out for “removal,” led to the creation of a massive, … Read more »
News dropped last week that the Obama administration was planning a month-long “surge” of immigration raids targeting Central American mothers and children. The blowback was swift. Immigrant advocates and Democrats – including the presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders – came out against the raids, with Clinton saying she is “against large scale raids that tear families apart and sow fear … Read more »
No Matter the Target, Immigration Raids Are Inhumane By Mizue Aizeki Deputy Director, Immigrant Defense Project Critics of the federal government’s latest wave of deportations—which started with predawn raids in early January and saw 121 Central American asylum seekers, many of them children and parents, grabbed from their homes by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents—correctly argue that such tactics are … Read more »
In this January 10, 2016 column, college professor Kirk Anthony James describes his experience fighting deportation, with IDP’s assistance, for an old drug offense. My waiver hearing would occur in January of 2002. The New York State Immigrant Defense Project handled my case pro bono. They would conduct numerous interviews with family and friends in an effort to show the … Read more »
IDP executive director Alisa Wellek is quoted in this December 17, 2015 article on the website Task & Purpose about an upcoming documentary film, “Exiled: America’s Deported Veterans.” Alisa Wellek is the executive director for the Immigrant Defense Project where she has worked for eight years helping those facing deportation by ensuring they have access to proper legal representation. Wellek has … Read more »
IDP is cited in this January 11, 2016 article on demonstrations in New York City protesting ICE raids on the homes of Central American asylum seekers. One day prior, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito spoke against the deportations at a press event in Corona accusing the federal government of “ripping families apart, separating families, and putting them back in very … Read more »
IDP executive director Alisa Wellek is quoted in this March 29, 2016 article about the human toll of laws that impose harsh immigration consequences on non-citizens with criminal convictions. “For the most part most people (coming out of prison) are going to be deportable,” the Immigrant Defense Project’s Alisa Wellek said. While the criminal justice system sees some nuance in terms … Read more »
IDP’s federal policy work is focused on building momentum against mass detention, deportation, and imprisonment, and on changing the political and legal landscape that over the past two decades has led to the largest expulsion of immigrants in U.S. history. Since 2006, IDP has collaborated on national advocacy with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and the National Immigration Project of the … Read more »
IDP also develops accessible resources for community-based organizations focused on the intersection between the criminal justice and immigration systems and for directly impacted community members. Given the complexity and urgency of “crim-imm” issues, and the need to disrupt narratives around them, we are committed to developing creative materials, utilizing storytelling, personal narratives, and graphics. Through our collaboration with a broad base of … Read more »