PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Sophie Dalsimer, Co-Director of the Health Justice Program at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI)
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Sophie Dalsimer from NYLPI's Health Justice Program testifies on the importance of protecting immigrant communities from ICE enforcement to ensure access to healthcare for all New Yorkers. She emphasizes the negative health impacts of immigration enforcement and urges the council to pass legislation strengthening existing protections.
- Highlights the chilling effect of ICE presence on healthcare access for immigrant communities
- Describes the detrimental health consequences of ICE detention on individuals and their families
- Calls for passing Intro 214 and resolutions to improve ICE enforcement guidance and expand legal services support
Sophie Dalsimer
5:19:25
Okay.
5:19:25
Okay.
5:19:26
Thank you so much.
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And my apologies to the council and my fellow panel members that I do have to head out right after for a prior commitment.
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Good afternoon.
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My name is Sophie Dalsimer and I am Co Director of the Health Justice Program at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest.
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Our Health Justice Program brings a racial equity and immigrant justice focus to health care advocacy, including addressing the human rights crisis and immigration detention and advocating for health care for all New Yorkers.
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I am testifying today from a health justice lens to urge the council to pass legislation that will uphold and strengthen existing laws to protect non citizen community members from ICE enforcement.
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These actions are critical to preserving access to health care for all New Yorkers.
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When immigrant New Yorkers lack confidence that that city agencies and their representatives won't communicate and collude with ICE, they hesitate to access health care.
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These fears are compounded when ICE shows up in local hospitals.
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This chilling effect was well documented during
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the first Trump administration.
Sophie Dalsimer
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Medical providers themselves observed that ICE providers themselves observed that ICE's presence in the community led to increased fear of deportation, not only among undocumented immigrants, but also among their US citizen children and networks of families and friends.
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This pervasive fear led to health care avoidance, stress, and anxiety, all of which have profound effects on physical and mental health.
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Far from keeping us safe, immigration enforcement has disastrous impacts on the health and well-being of New York City families and communities.
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As a deportation defense attorney for many years, I know immigration enforcement affects not just recently arrived New Yorkers, but long term New York City residents with extensive family and community ties.
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When a noncitizen New Yorker is arrested and detained by ICE, they lose access to health care that they received in their communities.
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At the same time, their children and other family members frequently experiencing worsening physical and psychological health outcomes with the removal of a primary caretaker or provider.
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Equally concerning, NLP has for years documented the egregious conditions within ICE attention centers where many New York City residents have suffered medical neglect and lack of disability accommodations causing severe health consequences and other dignitary harms.
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Tragically, worsening health outcomes, including preventable deaths due to inadequate medical care, are not exceptional occurrences in ICE detention.
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The council must act swiftly to protect New Yorkers from these harms.
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We urge the council to pass intro 214 and the resolutions introduced today to ensure that city employees receive proper training on ICE enforcement guidance and continue to expand legal services support, including the Immigrant Health Initiative, which supports our vital work.
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Thank you so much for your time and your continuing cooperation.