NY bill would guarantee counsel in all immigration removal cases
A statewide bill in NY, the Access to Representation Act, would provide a right to counsel for both detained and non-detained immigrants in removal proceedings. The bill has been filed every year since 2019.
You can read the bill sponsor’s press-release,and a commentary piece in the Times-Union made the case as to why NY should pass the bill. There has also been media coverage in US News and World Report, NY Daily News, NY Law Journal, WENY, Crains New York Business. And an op-ed in Law360 urged passage of the law, noting high stakes, “byzantine” law, and studies that have found immigration representation is transformative. On March 18, 2024, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander issued a report showing the economic benefits of immigration representation (such as retained tax revenue and avoidance of social safety net costs caused by families torn apart by immigration removal) and urged the state to adopt the Act.
Advocates from the CARE for Immigrant Families are separately asking for $150 million for immigration legal services.
The NCCRC is supporting the efforts of the NY statewide coalition.
