NEW YORK, CMC—The CARE for Immigrant Families coalition rallied with Caribbean and other immigrant rights advocates at the New York State Capitol earlier this week, demanding a US$165 million investment in immigrant legal services funding.
Advocates called for the passage of the Access to Representation Act and the Bolstering Unrepresented Immigrant Legal Defense Act for the 2025 New York State Legislative Session.
As New York families remain under threat of mass deportations and detentions from the Trump administration, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) said the state must stand firm in ensuring due process and access to justice for immigrant New Yorkers.
“Our state must remain a beacon of unity and justice, standing strong against federal anti-immigrant attacks with bold action,” Murad Awawdeh, NYIC’s president and CEO, whose organization represents over 200 immigrant groups in New York State, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
“The Access to Representation Act would be a first-in-the-nation, guaranteeing immigrants facing deportation the right to legal counsel in New York State–ensuring they have a fair chance to fight for their freedom and justice,” he added. “The BUILD Act lays the groundwork for ARA by investing in the critical legal infrastructure needed for service providers to create, maintain, and expand programs to protect immigrant New Yorkers.
“With Trump back in the White House, immigrant communities in New York are living under the realities of mass deportations, detention, and family separation,” Awawdeh continued. “For too many, the immigration system is a fast track to deportation, not justice.”
Without legal representation, he said, “the system is stacked against immigrants, denying them a fair chance to fight to remain in their homes and contribute to our culture and economy.”
Awawdeh said New York has “the power to fight back and ensure our communities have a shot at freedom.”
Bypassing the Access to Representation Act and the BUILD Act, he said the state could ensure that immigrant New Yorkers have the legal defense they need “to stand up against an administration determined to strip them of their rights and humanity.
New York State Assemblymember Catalina Cruz said, “New York has always been a sanctuary for those seeking safety, opportunity, and justice.
“But without legal representation, too many of our immigrant neighbors are forced to fight for their futures alone in a system designed to push them out,” she said. “As we confront the renewed threats of mass deportation and family separation, we must meet this moment with action.
“Passing the Access to Representation Act and the BUILD Act is not just about policy—it’s about standing up for the fundamental right to due process,” she added. “Our state must invest $165 million in legal services to ensure no New Yorker is left without a fighting chance.
“This is how we uphold our values, protect our communities, and push back against the injustice of an immigration system that too often denies fairness to those who need it most,” Cruz continued.
New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said: “As we approach a second Trump administration, we must stand ready to protect New York’s immigrant community from the attacks that the former president has already promised.
New York State Assemblyman Brian Cunningham, the son of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the 43rd Assembly District in Brooklyn, said: “If we do not fight for the people who breathe culture, love, and community into our city’s neighborhoods, we are failing.
“We know that when one of our own has legal representation, they are more likely to experience a fair and timely process—and 10 times more likely to remain in their communities rather than face detention or deportation,” he said.
“Immigrants sacrifice for all of us—they proudly run storefronts, show up to work every day, and generate the revenue that funds our schools, community centers, and infrastructure,” Cunningham added. “It’s time to universally fund legal counsel for immigrants, regardless of their ability to pay, and for New York to build the legal infrastructure they can rely on when they need it.”
“Due process is one of the most fundamental principles we share as Americans. Yet, every day, immigrants are forced to navigate a complicated and unforgiving legal system without representation—facing government attorneys alone and at great personal risk,” said Camille Mackler, executive director of Immigrant-ARC.
“In immigration court, legal representation is not a luxury; it’s a lifeline. It can be the difference between staying with family and community or facing exile, even death, in a country they no longer recognize as home,” she added.
and then 