Caribbean L 8 ife, April 26–May 2, 2019 BQ
New rules to protect equal
access to justice in New York
Continued from Page 1
100 percent decline in U Visa certification
requests from immigrant victims
of crime in Manhattan Family Court
and significant drops in other boroughs.
In addition, the report states that
there’s a rise in ICE-related threats from
abusive partners; a rise in victims afraid
to testify or seek help from courts; and
major ICE-related disruptions to court
programs and practices.
“Stakeholders agree that New York
State must take action,” Legal Services
NYC said.
The report recommends the Office of
Court Administration adopt new rules
to protect equal access to justice in New
York.
“The data and experiences of court
practitioners in this report underscore
what advocates have been trumpeting
over the last two years — ICE enforcement
in our courts is instilling fear
in immigrant communities, preventing
victims and survivors of abuse from
getting the legal help they need to keep
themselves and their families safe,” said
Terry Lawson, director of the Family
and Immigration Unit at Bronx Legal
Services, the Bronx office of Legal Services
NYC.
“When people cannot access the
judiciary, when they cannot pursue or
defend their rights, when they must
choose to stay home rather than seek
access to justice, then a crucial branch
of our functioning society is in peril,
and it is up to all of us to protect it,” he
added. “We must safeguard our courts.”
Mizue Aizeki, acting executive director
of the Immigrant Defense Project,
another New York-based non-profit
organization, said the different perspectives
offered in the report “highlight the
havoc that ICE’s practices are wreaking
on the court system in New York State.
“Judges, public defenders, district
attorneys, anti-violence advocates, elected
officials and others have all repeatedly
called on ICE to stop courthouse
arrests,” he said. “Yet ICE continues to
refuse, instead escalating courthouse
arrests and spreading its disruptive and
harmful tactics throughout New York
State.”
New York State Attorney General,
Letitia James, a former New York City
Public Advocate, has also weighed in on
the crisis.
“Safe and universal access to the
court of law are key to a fair, democratic
society and a basic requirement in the
vindication of individual rights,” she
said in a statement. “ICE’s indiscriminate
campaign of courthouse arrests
puts all New Yorkers at risk and goes
against everything we stand for.”
Legal Services NYC said “The ICE
Out of Courts Coalition” compiled the
report over the last year after meeting
with the New York State Unified Court
System’s Office of Court Administration.
“ICE’s increased arrests in New York
courts have resulted in a systemic denial
of New York State residents’ full and
equal access to the courts, creating a
chilling effect on our courts, disrupting
essential court functions, and discouraging
immigrant victims of sexual and
domestic violence, human trafficking,
single mothers, and immigrant youth
from seeking legal help,” Legal Services
NYC said.
Caribbean American New York State
Assembly Member Michaelle C. Solages,
who represents Nassau County in Long
Island, a New York City suburb said “all
New Yorkers, regardless of income, race,
religion or immigration status deserve
the opportunity to engage our courts
to advocate for themselves and their
interests.
“Federal immigration agents coursing
and arresting immigrants in our
courthouses deters individuals from
interacting with the judicial system
which, in turn, endangers the safety of
entire communities,” said the daughter
of Haitian immigrants.
“I am proud to join the Immigrant
Defense Project, SEIU 32BJ (labor
union) and all the advocates to ensure
that our courts remain safe spaces for
all New Yorkers,” she added.
THE CITY CLERK
OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION
45TH COUNCILMANIC DISTRICT
Pursuant to provisions of Section 25(b)(1) of the Charter of the City of New
York, notice is hereby given that a special election will be held in the
Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings on, Tuesday, May 14, 2019,
between the hours of 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM for the purpose of electing a
candidate for the 45th Councilmanic District. Only registered voters in this
district are eligible to vote.
For any information on whether you are eligible to vote or where your poll
site is located, please call (212) V-0-T-E-N-Y-C. TDD for the hearingimpaired
is (212) 487-5496.
The City Clerk of the City of New York