A San Francisco judge blocked enforcement of President Trump’s executive order barring federal funds from so-called sanctuary cities Tuesday. In response, Steve Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, released the following statement:
"The New York Immigration Coalition applauds U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick's preliminary injunction against the Department of Justice (DOJ) order to deny funding to sanctuary cities.
The Justice Department sent letters to eight cities Friday that threaten to withhold federal grant money if they don’t demonstrate cooperation with immigration enforcement.
In response, Steve Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition released the following statement:
“Threatening to strip cities of critical federal funding is senseless and hypocritical.
In response to news reports, Steven Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, released the following statement:
"It is shocking that the federal government is deporting DREAMers like Juan Manuel Montes; people who have legal permission to live in the United States under DACA. The Trump Administration’s vicious policies will make all Americans unsafe.
Americans could wind up facing felony charges for giving someone a ride
On Tuesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a widely reported memo to the Department of Justice outlining new policies targeting undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
“The 2017 budget is a disappointment for our four million immigrant New Yorkers, at a time when President Trump’s Muslim bans, deportation threats, and proposed budget cuts have directly threatened our communities. Although we are pleased with the IDC’s historic investment of $10 million for critical immigration services, there remain unaddressed gaps in legal services, undocumented youth have been excluded from the Excelsior Scholarship, and the budget did not address other important issues such as adult education.
Steven Choi, Executive Director of NYIC, responds to recent ruling in favor of IDNYC:
“The New York Immigration Coalition is thrilled with the judge's ruling allowing the City to properly safeguard the privacy and personal documents of IDNYC cardholders, including the tens of thousands of New York's immigrants who have benefited greatly from all of the City's resources.
In another victory for immigrant communities and advocates, Federal District Judge Derrick Watson in Hawai’i extended his order blocking President Trump’s “Muslim and refugee” ban indefinitely. Earlier this month, President Trump issued his “Muslim Ban 2.0,” a second attempt at an executive order barring refugee resettlement for up to four months, stopping travel from six Muslim-majority countries, and limiting the U.S refugee resettlement quota to 50,000 refugees per year.
Car seat violation leads to arrest; Police with dogs, batons, pepper spray engage peaceful protester
Last night, the Geneseo Police Department pulled over a car, separating five children from their family, ultimately turning over two mothers and their 12 year old brother to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Today, Governor Cuomo announced his Liberty Defense Project, a program which proposes to offer pro-bono legal services and other resources to immigrants regardless of their status.
New York Immigration Coalition Executive Director, Steven Choi, released the following statement:
"There looks like there’s not a single public dollar that goes to legal defense, which stands in sharp contrast to other states that are leading the way against the anti-immigrant onslaught from the federal government.
On Tuesday, March 21, 2017, Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Mark-Viverito, Chancellor Fariña, and Commissioner Agarwal announced new guidance to schools around requests for access to schools and records by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Key provisions of the guidance include: sending the ICE officer outside the school while ICE’s paperwork is checked, requiring the principal to consult with the Senior Field Counsel before responding to ICE, notifying the parent after consulting with the Senior Field Counsel, and requiring judicial warrants as access criteria.
