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ICE detentions increase in NYC Courts
A new report from the Immigrant Defense Project, released in January, reports a sharp increase of ICE detentions in NYC courts. While Brooklyn and Queens courts account for the majority of ICE arrests, NYC accounts for 75% of ICE arrests in the state. Compared to 2017, operations rose to 17% from 2017, and 1700% from 2016. IDP also reports that embolden ICE arrests have increased in violence and brutality during arrests and targeting vulnerable immigrants which violates ICE protocols and procedures. A Call to Action With our current administration making ICE and CBP more embolden we call on you to contact your representatives by doing the following: Step 1: Dial 1-844-332-6361 and follow instructions to connect you with your Member of Congress. Step 2: Use the following script as a guide, we encourage you to add an example of why this is important to you and for your community. “Hello, my name is [first and last name] and I'm a constituent of [state/congressional district]. I'm calling as part of the Defund Hate campaign. We're calling on [Member of Congress] to weigh in with leadership and oppose any special funding increase for immigrant detention. This funding fuels agencies like ICE and CBP which have a long track record of lying, hiding information and retaliating against those who speak out against them. We need to use public funds for needed resources like healthcare, education and housing, instead of this hateful detention and deportation machine. We demand that [Member of Congress] publicly call for significant cuts to ICE and CBP and be a voice to #DefundHate and oppose funding for the detention and deportation machine. But this week, we particularly need [Member of Congress] to reach out to leadership to oppose the special funding increase for immigrant detention in the continuing resolution.” Step 3: Repeat steps 1 & 2 to connect with your remaining Members of Congress, it’s important that your representative and your senators hear from you! References: Detention Watch Network. https://www.detentionwatchnetwork.org/defundhate Immigration Defense Project. https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/wp-content/uploads/TheCourthouseTrap.pdf
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As we continue to encourage New American Citizens to engage in their nations’ election process, New York Mennonite Immigration Programs would like to congratulate the participants of the NYMIP first Citizenship Workshop. We continue to support the workshop participants as they continue their naturalization journey by providing supports and services in the completion of N-400, document retrieval, representation, and so much more. We also welcome new participants in the second Citizenship Workshop which is now on it’s third week of sessions. New York Mennonite Immigration Program wants to congratulate the winners of the New York primary elections. Who is running in the General Election? Democratic Incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo will run in the general elections against Republican Nominee Marcus Molinaro. Cuomo will also contend with third party nominees; Stephanie Miner is running as an Independent, Larry Sharp is running on the Libertarian nomination, and Howie Hawkins is the Green Party’s candidate. All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are also up for election in the November 6, 2018 general election. When is the General Election held? General elections will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. When do I have to register to vote? If you have already registered to vote and do not wish to change you party, you don’t have to take any further action as you are only required to register to vote once. However, first time voter applications must be postmarked no later than October 12, 2018 and the application must be received by the Board of Elections by October 17, 2018. For more information about voter registration: https://www.elections.ny.gov/votingdeadlines.html The New York primacy elections are September 13, 2018, and an New York Mennonite Immigration Program is excited for new citizens that will be voting in the New York primary elections this year. We continue to work diligently with our churches and communities in ushering new voters as we wind down our first NYMIP Citizenship Workshop and prepare for the Naturalization process.
It is important that we vote for candidates that will represent us and our Christians values. It is for this purpose that we become educated voters to elect people that will represent our interests accordingly on the national stage. As Christians we must not only care to know who our elected leaders are during elections rather, also connect, encourage and engage them. Below are five ways that we may do so. 1. Pray for them as they make wise decisions that ensures that we may lead peaceful and honest lives 2. Invite them to special events at your church 3. Share your position with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike 4. Remember them when they are going through a difficult time. We must continue to make ourselves heard and our values known to our elected officials and this begins with the voting process. Below you will find more information about some of the runners in the New York primary race along with information regarding the voting process. What are New York primaries? The primary elections are when a party’s registered voters elect the candidates for the November general elections. What are the major races in the New York primaries? * Gubernatorial * Lieutenant Governor * Attorney General * State Legislature Who is running for New York Governor and Attorney General? New York State Governor: Marcus Molinaro is running unchallenged for New York State Governor for the Republican Party however, sitting New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo is running against former actress Cynthia Nixon for the Democratic ticket. New York State Attorney General Democratic candidates:
Republican candidates:
When will the New York primary elections be held? While the primary elections are usually held on a Tuesday, they have been moved to Thursday, September 13, 2018, in observance of Rosh Hashana. Voting hours will be from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Who is eligible to vote in the New York primary elections? Eligibility consists of persons who are United States Citizens, 18 year of age or older, who have resided in their present address for at least 30 days prior to the election. All voters must be registered by August 19, 2018. For more information:
 What is asylum? Asylum is a protection granted to foreign nationals who are already in the United States or at its border, who meet the international legal definition of a refugee. The UN Convention of 1951 and Protocol of 1967 defines a refugee as a person who is unable or unwilling to return to their home country, who cannot obtain protection in their home country, due to past persecution or well-founded fear of persecution in the future on the basis of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. What you should know It is important to note that (1) asylum requests MUST be done within ONE YEAR of entering the United States. (2) It is important to have legal representation for asylum cases. Petitions made through self-representation have 15% chance of winning their petition. (3) If you are not able to obtain legal representation due to the expense, you may seek assistance from organizations such as:
Work Permits and Asylum Asylum applicants can not apply for work authorization at the same time as they submit their I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal. Applicants may apply for Work Authorization after 150 days have passed with no resolution to their case. The delay to the case must not be caused by the applicant i.e. applicant rescheduling interviews, etc. However, as of January 29, 2018, the USCIS has adopted a First in First Out practices in scheduling asylum interviews. This means that the most recent asylum applications will be heard first while, applicants that have filed prior will be scheduled last. This practice aims to deter frivolous asylum applications for the sole purpose of obtaining employment authorization.  Immigrant children placed
in the NYC foster care system. President Trump’s “Zero Tolerance” immigration policy has caused the separation of children from their parents, placing them in separate detention centers and foster care placements across the country. After further deliberation and public controversy regarding the separation of children from their parents, as well as the treatment children received in these facilities ensued, the President discontinued their practice of separation. However, despite the reversal thousands of children are separated from their parents and remain in detention or foster care such as in the case of migrant children placed in NYC. While concrete numbers of the children placed in NYC vary, there are reportedly at least 200 children in New York City separation sites. This may leave parents unaware of how to access information about their children and delay reconnection. If your child has been placed in a NYC foster care system, these are the rights of parents who's children have been separated from them. 1. Communicate with ACS staff in your preferred language.
Questions to ask if a loved one calls you from detention or police custody: •Make sure to record the answers carefully and in as much detail as possible. • Do you need medical attention? • What law enforcement agency arrested or detained you? • Where are you? • What is the largest city or town near you? • What papers have you been given and what do the papers say? • Do you have any court date or hearing scheduled? • Have you spoken with your attorney/ accredited If you would like more information about your rights as a parent of a child placed in the NYC foster care system visit https://www1.nyc.gov/site/acs/about/immigrant-services.page |
