New York, NY—As part of New York City’s response to COVID-19, the city closed two South Bronx schools Thursday morning and additional schools on Friday. In response to this situation, Kim Sykes, Director of Education Policy, New York Immigration Coalition issued the following statement:

“We applaud Mayor de Blasio, Chancellor Carranza, and City Council leaders for recognizing that many New York families rely on schools for more than their children's educational needs, including  access to health care, meals, and other essential supports.

Washington, DC-A leaked Customs and Border Protection directive allows the agency to actively surveil and detain individuals suspected of carrying illness—indefinitely. The document, obtained by The Nation, is titled “Operations Plan for Pandemic Response” and was drafted during the avian flu pandemic of 2007. The plan describes CBP and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) overseeing potential tent cities of quarantined detainees at the border and coordinating with unspecified intelligence agencies—both foreign and domestic—as well as the Pentagon.

New York, NY—On Wednesday evening,President Trump announced a 30-day suspension of travel from Europe to the United States, beginning on Friday. The President also imposed a 30-day ban on foreigners who in the previous two weeks have been in the 26 countries that make up the European Union’s Schengen Area.

Albany, NY-Today, immigrants and allies from across the state marched through the corridors of power in Albany demanding support for a broader immigrant protection and empowerment agenda, “New York’s Promise Package,” to defend against the Trump administration’s ongoing assaults and separation of families.

New York, NY-With today’s reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) massively increasing its presence in several sanctuary cities, including in New York State, immigrant advocates are renewing their call for Albany to fund desperately-needed immigration lawyers for New York’s families.

New York, NY—Following the confirmation of the first few positive cases of the novel (new) coronavirus, COVID-19, in New York City, immigration advocates joined New York City and New York State officials in urging calm, while denouncing attempts by President Trump to cynically exploit a public health issue for partisan gain.

New York, NY-Today, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan overturned a lower court's decision ordering the administration to release funding to New York City and seven states — Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, Virginia and Rhode Island.

Albany, NY-The Green Light NY Coalition issued the following statement today following the Governor’s press conference in defense of the Green Light Law:

“We commend Governor Andrew Cuomo for his ongoing commitment to the safety and security of all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status.

New York, NY—In an official statement issued today, Governor Andrew Cuomo affirmed his commitment to never allow the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) immigration enforcement agencies access to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles’ database.

New York, NY—Beginning Monday, February 24, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will implement changes to the public charge rule. These changes are a significant departure from how the regulation is currently applied. The threat of the rule change has already had a chilling effect on immigrant families — many of which include U.S. citizens — who are not applying for or are actively disenrolling from government programs for fear it could impact their ability to make changes to their immigration status.