Immigrant rights advocates win $175 million in funding for immigrant legal services in New York

On Monday, New York lawmakers satisfied the demands of CARE for Immigrant Families, a coalition of justice reform, civil rights, and labor rights organizations, in their bid to secure more $175 million in funding for immigrant legal defense services. 

You can read the organization's statement here.

The right to due process belongs to all people within the jurisdiction of the United States, regardless of immigrant status, documented or not. As the unconstitutional arrests and detentions of immigrants across the country continue, it is as important as it has ever been for state governments to guarantee quality legal defense to all of their residents, as required of them by the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

237 years after its ratification, the fulfillment of the Sixth Amendment’s promise is yet to be fully materialized. Too often the quality of justice an individual receives is determined by the thickness of their wallet. While the government is always represented by a trained prosecutor, immigrants are frequently forced to argue complex points of constitutional law against them entirely alone. This $175 million allocation begins to level that playing field, moving due process closer to being a functional reality for everyone, not just the wealthy.

In an era of uncertainty, this commitment signals that New York values the dignity of its residents over the politics of exclusion.

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