For Immediate Release
Contact: bpacheco@nylag.org | c: 917.771.9845
(NEW YORK, NY) February 10, 2021: ICE continues to harass and target immigrants in our communities–our neighbors, parents, workers that keep the economy going. It is critical that President Biden rolled back Trump Administration policies targeting all immigrants and set very limited priorities for the harsh enforcement tactics such as arrest, detention, and deportation.
The Rapid Response Legal Collaborative, made up of Make the Road New York, UnLocal, and the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), authored a letter urging ICE to enforce the “Pekoske Memo” and refrain from reinstating removal orders where the individual is not considered a priority, among other issues. ICE must respect those priorities and release members of our communities from the horrible detention conditions in NY and NJ area jails, to return them to their families.
About NYLAG
Founded in 1990, New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) is a leading civil legal services organization combatting economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis. Our services include comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. NYLAG exists because wealth should not determine who has access to justice. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving individuals and families whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality. NYLAG goes to where the need is, providing services in more than 150 community sites (e.g. courts, hospitals, libraries) and on our Mobile Legal Help Center. During COVID-19, most of our services are virtual to keep our community safe. NYLAG’s staff of 300 impacted the lives of nearly 90,000 people last year.
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