News

Governor Hochul Pardons 9 New Yorkers Facing Harsh Immigration Consequences and Grants 4 Commutations

The time is now for the Governor to make good on her promise to exercise a historically underused executive power December 21, 2022 ALBANY, NY – Today, Governor Kathy Hochul granted 9 pardons to immigrants who have made significant contributions to New York, yet face severe immigration consequences because of their convictions. While we applaud the Governor’s announcements to grant … Read more »

Advocates Condemn Governor Hochul’s Veto of Court Notification Bill to Protect Immigrants’ Constitutional Rights

The Bill, Which Passed in June, Requires Judges to Notify Immigrant New Yorkers of Possible Immigration Consequences of Pleas in Criminal Court December 12, 2022 NEW YORK – Advocates today condemned Governor Hochul’s veto of the Court Notification Bill (S2903A/A9877A), which would have taken a critical step toward protecting the rights of immigrants facing criminal charges and ensuring a meaningful … Read more »

Immigrant Defense Project Calls on Biden to Extend Marijuana Pardon Protections to Immigrants

October 6, 2022 The Immigrant Defense Project has issued the following statement from Jane Shim, Senior Policy Attorney, in response to President Biden’s proclamation granting pardons to thousands of people convicted of simple possession of marijuana: “Marijuana prohibition has devastated poor communities and communities of color for too long, and President Biden’s decision to pardon some federal marijuana possession convictions … Read more »

Marijuana Justice Coalition on First-Ever Comprehensive Marijuana Reform Bill in the Senate

Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act Builds Off House-passed MORE Act to Deschedule Marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act and Begin Repairing Extensive Harms Caused by Prohibition July 21, 2022 Washington, D.C.—In response to Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Sens. Booker and Wyden today introducing the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, members of the Marijuana Justice Coalition—a broad coalition of national … Read more »

New York Legislature Fails to Protect Immigrant Families with New York for All

The New York For All Coalition issues the following statement June 7, 2022 ALBANY, NY – The New York state legislative session concluded last week without lawmakers voting on the New York for All Act (S.03076/A.02328), key immigrants’ rights legislation that has wide support from elected officials, advocates, legal service providers, public health experts, and faith leaders throughout New York … Read more »

2022 Legislative Session Ends – IDP Celebrates Victories and Continues to Fight for Key Priorities

June 6, 2022 Albany, NY – During the 2022 legislative session, the Immigrant Defense Project continued its state advocacy work towards justice for all immigrants caught at the intersection of the immigration and criminal legal systems. Our legislative priorities included disentangling ICE policing in the state from local agencies, expanding procedural rights for immigrants in the criminal legal system, and … Read more »

IDP & Partners Cheer the Passage of Court Notification Bill

When signed by Gov. Hochul, the bill will strengthen immigrants’ constitutional right to receive legal advice in Criminal Court June 1, 2022 ALBANY, NY – New York is poised to strengthen much-needed constitutional protections for immigrants facing criminal charges after the State Assembly passed a bill mandating New Yorkers get notified of the possibility of immigration consequences. Advocates applauded the … Read more »

Advocates Call for Passage of Court Notification Bill after It Clears Assembly Codes Committee

Court Notifications Bill Would Strengthen Immigrants’ Constitutional Right to Receive Legal Advice in Criminal Court May 17, 2022 ALBANY, NY— Advocates applauded the advancement today of a critical bill in Albany that will ensure New Yorkers get accurate legal advice about immigration consequences if they are facing criminal charges. The New York State Assembly Codes Committee today passed the Court … Read more »

Immigrants Rights Advocates and Allies Demand NYS Legislature Keep NY Families Together After Passage of NYC Council Resolution

April 28, 2022 New York, NY-Today, the New York for All Coalition, allies, and immigrant New Yorkers celebrated the passage of a City Council resolution in support of the New York for All Act. The New York for All Act, currently pending in the New York State Legislature, would prohibit local law enforcement and state agencies from conspiring with Immigration … Read more »

IDP Celebrates House Passage of Legislation to End Federal Marijuana Prohibition

April 1, 2022 NEW YORK—Today the House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, legislation that would deschedule and decriminalize cannabis, resentence federal convictions, and take a major step toward ending collateral consequences for cannabis-related activity, including immigration consequences. On the passage of the bill, Immigrant Defense Project’s (IDP) Supervising Attorney Benita Jain said, “For decades, … Read more »

IDP Statement: 170 Organizations Send Letter to DHS Secretary Defending Local Policies that Protect Immigrant Communities

March 29, 2022 Washington, D.C. – Scores of immigrant rights, community-based and legal advocacy organizations today sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling on him to reverse course on his attempts to undermine local policies that protect immigrant communities and urging him to follow through on promises to end existing programs that entangle localities with … Read more »

IDP Statement: NY Immigrant Rights Advocates Tell Gov Hochul: Don’t Roll Back Bail Reform

March 28, 2022 NEW YORK– Thirty immigrant rights community-based and legal advocacy organizations called on New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin not to proceed with their plan to rollback bail reform and warned that expanding criminalization and incarceration will increase harm to Black, Latinx and immigrant New Yorkers. The letter highlights the positive impacts that the … Read more »

Report: People Formerly Incarcerated in U.S. Immigration Detention Speak Out Against a System That Is Cruel by Design

            New report on world’s largest detention system shows policies designed to punish immigrants spread coronavirus and how  system degrades and dehumanizes people February 3, 2022 — ICE detention practices during the pandemic have shone a spotlight on the unacceptable conditions in the U.S.  immigration detention system. ICE practices were found to not only spread … Read more »

2022 Crimes and Immigration Seminar

The Crimes and Immigration Seminar is an annual CLE program that provides in-depth training on key topics in criminal-immigration law practice. The seminar is designed to be useful and engaging for both introductory and advanced immigration law practitioners. The first day will cover a variety of topics relating to the categorical approach, the analysis that courts use to determine the … Read more »

DHS Enforcement Guidance: Practice Advisories for Immigration and Criminal Defense Attorneys (Updated June 2023)

June 2023 Update: On June 23, 2023 the Supreme Court decided in U.S. v. Texas that states cannot challenge the administration’s enforcement priorities that guide immigration arrests and deportation.  Texas and Louisiana had tried to block DHS’s 2021 enforcement guidance/prosecutorial discretion memo (“Mayorkas memo”).  Although the decision did not automatically reinstate this memo, it appears likely that this will happen. In light of … Read more »

IDP’s Impact in 2021: Remarkable Victories in Challenging Times

Dear Friends of IDP, We started 2021 with the promise of renewed opportunities to reverse some of the deeply harmful practices of the previous administration. Despite the Biden administration’s promises to bring humanity to the immigration system, we have seen blatant racist and violent treatment of Haitians at the border, the defense of Trump-era policies in court, and the continued … Read more »

IDP Summer Internship

The Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) is a national nonprofit advocacy organization that promotes fundamental fairness for immigrants accused or convicted of crimes. IDP seeks to minimize the harsh and disproportionate immigration consequences of contact with the criminal legal system by working to transform unjust deportation laws and policies, and by educating and advising immigrants, their criminal defenders, and other advocates. … Read more »

Resource: ICE Knows That You’re In DOCCS 

IDP has put together a resource that provides critical information to immigrants who are facing time in NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) or who are currently in DOCCS custody. Even though ICE and DOCCS have established close collaboration over the past few decades, people entering into or in DOCCS custody often have very little information on what … Read more »

IDP Statement: DHS’s Deportation Memo Reinforces Flawed Policies of the Past

September 30, 2021 New York, NY — Today, the Department of Homeland Security released a new deportation memo that continues to reinforce the role of policing and incarceration as a feeder into the deportation system. The memo responds to substantial advocacy by acknowledging the harms of taking a one-dimensional approach to immigration policing, and its deportation categories appear less rigid … Read more »