| Photo by Oscar Castillo
NEW YORK – On Tuesday, March 28, 2023, elected officials, including State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, joined the CARE Immigrant Families coalition at the Million Dollar Staircase in Albany to call on Gov. Kathy Hochul and the legislature to enact and fully fund the Access to Representation Act (ARA).
The bill seeks to establish a right to counsel in immigration court and a $128M investment in legal and essential services. The Campaign for Access, Representation & Equity (CARE) for Immigrant Families coalition has been rallying for this bill. Coalition members marched throughout the Empire Plaza.
Earlier this month, state legislators asserted their commitment to immigrant New Yorkers with an investment of $120 million in the one-house budget resolutions – the most significant portion for legal services funding. The funding will help immigrant New Yorkers access attorneys as they navigate a complicated legal system, but it falls short without the passage of ARA. As legislative leaders negotiate the final FY 2024 budget, immigrant advocates urge Gov. Hochul and lawmakers to pass the ARA as a long-term legislative solution while maintaining the proposed funding.
According to the CARE coalition, immigrant New Yorkers who cannot afford to hire an attorney are currently forced to represent themselves in court—regardless of age or language abilities — against trained government attorneys. They say studies show that immigrants in detention with legal representation are ten times more likely to win their right to remain in the United States, making it more critical for legislative leaders to fund legal services and help keep immigrant families intact.
Sponsored by Sen. Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, the CARE coalition said the passage of the ARA would help thousands of New Yorkers stay in their homes with their families, contributing to their communities and the economy.
“Having a lawyer in an immigration hearing can be the difference between life and death. Non-detained people in immigration hearings are over three times more likely to achieve a successful outcome if they have representation,” said State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal.
“Our Access to Representation Act will help immigrants get the legal representation they need. I am grateful to Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, the New York Immigration Coalition, the Vera Institute of Justice, Immigrant-ARC, and Make the Road for their advocacy in support of this critical bill.”
Cruz said the bill would ensure that all New Yorkers, regardless of their wealth, can secure the legal services they need to remain with their families, at their jobs, and in their communities.
“I look forward to working with the advocates and my Senate partner Brad Hoylman-Sigal, to ensure the passage of the Access to Representation Act in this year’s budget,” said Cruz.
Assembly members Taylor Darling, Andrew Havesi, Marcela Mitaynes, and Jo Anne Simon support the bill.
Likewise, representatives from immigrant advocacy groups such as the Vera Institute of Justice’s Advancing Universal Representation, Immigrant ARC, Workers Center of Central New York, The Justice Center at Albany Law School, and The Justice Center at Albany Law School also voiced their support.
“Today, hundreds of New Yorkers from all over the state descended on Albany to ensure this historic legislation is passed. The governor must ensure historic investments in immigrant service are maintained and that the Access to Representation Act is included in the final budget to make our legal system truly equitable and just for all,” said Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition.
