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PUBLIC TESTIMONY

Testimony by Stephanie Cordero, Director of Immigrants' Rights and Advocacy Project at Brooklyn Legal Services

5:04:25

·

137 sec

Stephanie Cordero from Brooklyn Legal Services testified about the negative impacts of the 30/60 day shelter stay rule on immigrant families and legal service providers. She shared experiences of clients being frequently moved between shelters, causing disruptions to their lives and the legal services provided.

Highlighted a case of a Honduran mother with four children who was moved 3-4 times within a month, eventually leaving for California
Pointed out that the rule was applied to people it shouldn't have affected, such as those who entered the US before the policy was implemented
Emphasized the lack of information given to shelter residents about the rule and possible extensions
Stressed that the policy is disruptive to due process rights of new immigrants and urged New York to do better for newcomers

Stephanie Cordero

5:04:25

Thank you so much for the opportunity to testify.

5:04:27

My name is Stephanie Cordero.

5:04:30

I'm the director of the immigrants rights and advocacy project at Brooklyn Legal Services.

5:04:30

Brooklyn Legal advocacy project at Brooklyn Legal Services.

5:04:34

Brooklyn Legal Services is part of Legal Services New York City, which is a, legal services organization with a mission to fight poverty and seek racial, social, and economic justice on behalf of low income New Yorkers.

5:04:51

We have been around for 50 years, and our practice areas include housing, immigration, public benefits, among others.

5:05:00

I will share a couple of experiences we have had personally as the legal services provider organization with the 30 60 day rule.

5:05:09

So the first, anecdote we have is about a mother we assisted who was from Honduras, and, she was here with her 4 children at a shelter.

5:05:17

All her children were under the age of 12 years old, school aged, and she had the same experience as what you've heard today in terms of being moved from shelter to shelter.

5:05:28

She told us she was moved 3 to 4 times within a month's time, and the moves were so disruptive that she did end up going to California permanently.

5:05:38

So this interrupt the services that we were providing as we were unable to represent her in her case, obviously.

5:05:45

But what was most striking about this was that she had actually entered the United States in 2021, and thus the rules should have not applied to her.

5:05:54

But it's not surprising to us that to see such a draconian policy sweep up far more people than it intended because of the chaos that it's caused logistically, and particularly when shelter residents themselves, are often given little or any information about the 30 to 60 day rule and the extensions that they could request.

5:06:16

And we experienced this firsthand as well when we went to the Kingsborough men shelter in Brooklyn to provide Thank you.

Gale A. Brewer

5:06:23

Your time expired.

Stephanie Cordero

5:06:26

Oh, apologize.

5:06:28

Anyway, just to request again.

5:06:30

It's very disruptive to the services that we provide to due process rights of the newest New Yorkers.

5:06:35

And as New York, we need to do better for those who are coming here, to make the city better.

5:06:40

Thank you so much for listening.

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Testimony by Carolyn Gleason, Community Member