TESTIMONY
Deborah Lee on Increasing Trends of Detention and Deportation and Legal Aid Society’s Efforts
3:49:34
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149 sec
Deborah Lee testifies about the escalating detention and deportation of New Yorkers, the resumption of deportations to Venezuela, and Legal Aid's challenges and efforts in providing legal support.
- Lee expresses concern over the mayor's collaboration with ICE, suspecting anyone of committing a crime regardless of their residency duration.
- She highlights Legal Aid's work, including emergency legal representation, education initiatives, and the necessity for increased funding to meet growing demands.
- Legal Aid seeks restoration of knife up funding and an increase in funding for unaccompanied minors and families.
- Lee stresses the importance of legal education for immigrants and their families and announces the submission of a concept paper to HRA DSS.
- Legal Aid is committed to defending immigrant rights and requests the committee's continued support.
Deborah Lee
3:49:34
My name is Deborah Lee, and I'm the attorney in charge of the immigration law unit at the legal aid society.
3:49:39
We thank chair of the list for this opportunity and this committee for its historic support.
3:49:44
As my colleagues from the Bronx defenders and Brooklyn defender services have noted, we only expect a trend toward the increased detention and deportation of New Yorkers.
3:49:53
This trend includes the resumption of deportations to Venezuela, a country which continues to suffer an utter breakdown in civil government and protections.
3:50:02
We are concerned by the mayor's statements about collaborating with ICE for anyone he suspects of committing a crime.
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Whether a recent arrival or a long term resident.
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Legal aid is proud to have detainer laws here that ensure that New York City complies with its constitutional requirement of probable us.
3:50:20
Legal aid is working at capacity to deal with a constant request for legal representation before the Corporation Court.
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Within our youth project alone, we take on at least 2 emergency special immigrant juvenile cases every single month.
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Rushing to prepare clients, filings, and constantly pushing for family court hearing dates before our clients age out.
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All hands must be on deck to deal with these situations and to ensure that these clients can pursuesage while concurrently addressing the social service and mental health needs of these clients with complex trauma histories.
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This is in addition to our work with existing clients and other new clients who are not in absolute last minute crisis.
3:51:02
We are committed to legal education, whether it be to a video about what will happen in immigration court, or providing an immigration 101 training to parents at PS139 and 315 who have banded together to support families at Floyd Bennett Field.
3:51:18
To support our efforts, legal aid is asking for a straight restoration of our knife up funding, 5,533,333 for each provider, a total of $16,600,000, an increase in our unaccompanied minors and families funding to $1,850,000 to reflect our cost after 5 years of flat funding and increased demand.
3:51:39
In anticipation of an RFP for our immigrant opportunities initiative work, legal aid would like to highlight concerns submitted to HRA DSS with our concept paper with other providers.
3:51:50
We will provide a copy to this committee with our written testimony.
3:51:54
Legal aid is committed to fighting for immigrants rights and asked this committee to remain steadfast in its commitment.
3:52:00
Thank you again for this opportunity to appear before you today.