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PUBLIC TESTIMONY

Testimony by Deborah Lee, Attorney in Charge of Immigration Law Unit at Legal Aid Society

4:03:58

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Deborah Lee from the Legal Aid Society emphasizes the importance of reaffirming and strengthening sanctuary city laws in New York City. She argues for robust funding for immigration legal representation and warns against undoing existing protections for immigrant communities.

Calls for enacting the New York For All Act to prohibit local law enforcement from colluding with ICE
Stresses the need for funding immigration legal representation, especially for detained noncitizens
Emphasizes that sanctuary city policies make the entire community safer by allowing immigrants to access essential services without fear of deportation

Deborah Lee

4:03:58

Can you hear me?

4:03:59

Great.

4:03:59

Okay.

4:04:01

I'm gonna speak really quickly.

4:04:04

Okay.

4:04:05

My name is Deborah Lee, and I'm the attorney in charge of the immigration law unit, the Legal Aid Society.

4:04:10

We thank chair Aviles and all members for this hearing.

4:04:13

As the principal public defender citywide, legal aid cannot stress enough the need to reaffirm our sanctuary city laws.

4:04:20

Detainer laws and the Protect Our Courts Act are about upholding due process and accountability and aim to ensure that ICE is held to the probable cause standard required by the constitution before depriving somebody of their liberty.

4:04:33

Our state lawmakers must end our state's complicity with ICE by enacting the New York For All Act, which would prohibit local law enforcement across the state from colluding with ICE.

4:04:43

Sanctuary city policies rightly disentangle city resources from federal law immigration enforcement.

4:04:50

Instead of tearing down established protections and feeding more New Yorkers into the ICE deportation pipeline, we must do more to safeguard the rights of our immigrant families, neighbors, and loved ones.

4:05:02

Every single human being in this city should be free to call the police when they are in danger or a victim of a crime, go to the hospital if they need medical attention, seek safe shelter from the elements, send their children to school, and participate in a court hearing either as a party, respondent, or witness without the threat of being detained and deported.

4:05:23

Our entire community is safer if we provide for this.

4:05:27

Undoing New York sanctuary laws will only erode trust with immigrant communities and drive undocumented people further into the shadows.

4:05:36

With the promise of mass deportations, it is critical for city council to robustly fund immigration legal representation for noncitizen New Yorkers.

4:05:44

The foremost priority for funding here should be representing noncitizen New Yorkers who are detained and at imminent or at risk of imminent detention.

4:05:52

NYFA providers, you'll hear more from that about that, are ready to train a new generation of immigration attorneys, but we need a funding commitment from city council to prepare to prepare for the detention of noncitizens and their separation from their families and loved ones here in New York City.

4:06:08

I'll finish here and submit, written testimony.

4:06:11

Thank you.

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