Albany, NY—The New York State Legislature and Governor Hochul are poised to enact a $237 billion budget for FY25, including $2.4 billion for new arrivals. This includes a $64.2 million restoration for legal services funding, $324M million for the Supplemental Empire State Child Credit Payment for lower and middle income families who are currently cut out of the permanent Empire State Child Credit (ESCC), and $9.8 million for Adult Literacy Education (ALE). The Housing Voucher Access Program (HAVP), Coverage for All (C4A) and Language Access Expansion were excluded from the budget. Murad Awawde ..read more

CARE for Immigrant Families Says $150 Million Is Needed for Immigration Legal Services—Along with Passage of the Access to Representation Act—to Protect New Yorkers from Deportation, Family Separations ALBANY – Today, lawmakers allocated $64.2 million for immigrant legal services in the Fiscal Year 2025 New York State budget.This investment falls short of the $150 million required to ensure the long-term well-being of New Yorkers facing deportation and family separation, particularly as the state has welcomed additional asylum seekers and the number of people who have been left to fight deport ..read more

New York, NY—Today, New York City Mayor Eric Adams along with New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams announced $514 million in funding for education programs for FY25 that had previously been paid for with federal stimulus funding. This includes $6 million for translation and interpretation services, $17 million for coordinators for students in temporary housing in schools and shelters, $10 million for bilingual programs and $17 million for literacy and dyslexia programs. Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition: “Every child who calls New York home deserves a qua ..read more

New York—Today, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), elected officials, member organizations, allies, and immigrant New Yorkers celebrate the passage of the Language Access Expansion Act in the New York State Senate. Championed by Senator Tim Kennedy (D-63), the State Senate moved to pass the Language Access Expansion Act (S.3381-A / A.7235), extending the current Language Access policy. This legislation will require New York State agencies to provide free interpretation services in the primary language of the individual seeking services. It will also require the translation of docu ..read more

New York, NY—Today, the New York City Council released data showing the negative impacts on childrens’ schooling caused by Mayor Adams’ 60-day asylum seeker family shelter eviction policy. As of March 3, roughly one in five asylum seeker children whose families have received eviction notices were forced to leave the school they were previously attending. This amounts to nearly one thousand asylum seeker children who have had their schooling interrupted mid-year (678 students left the school system entirely, and 302 had to switch schools), despite Adams’ claim that “no child will have their edu ..read more

As Budget Deadline Looms, Advocates Urge Lawmakers to Enact a Budget that Uplifts All New Yorkers Photos & Videos Here Facebook Live Stream Here Albany, NY—Today, the CARE for Immigrant Families coalition rallied with immigrant rights advocates, elected officials,  allies and impacted people at the State Capitol to demand a $150 million investment in immigrant legal services. Advocates also called for passage of the Access to Representation Act (ARA), a first-in-the-nation bill that would establish a right to counsel in immigration court, offering families who face ..read more

New York—Long Island residents recently received a mailer in which Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said, “so long as I am your County Executive, Nassau will never become a sanctuary county nor spend your tax dollars on services for non-citizens.”  There is a similar statement in his official government biography using the term “illegal aliens.”  Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition: “Communities across Long Island have long been defined by the cultural and economic contributions of immigrant New Yorkers, who pay taxes just like everyone living and w ..read more

NYS Court ruled against Our City, Our Vote legislation, which granted local voting rights in municipal elections to lawful permanent residents and persons authorized to work Photos/video available here. Livestream available here. New York—Today, members of the Our City, Our Vote Coalition, interveners in the case, and elected officials rallied and held a press conference on the City Hall Steps to announce that they will be appealing. Last month, in Fossella v. Adams, the NYS Supreme Court Appellate Division ruled against the enactment of Local Law 11. Lawyers with LatinoJustice PRLDEF represen ..read more

New York, NY—Today, New York Mayor Eric Adams announced he would be traveling to the Southern border, as well as repeating his calls for making deportation easier. Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition: “At a moment when Mayor Adams is under increasing scrutiny for his own legal issues, he is once again trying to deflect attention from his problems by scapegoating immigrants. There is no reason for Mayor Adams to be traveling to the border on the taxpayers’ dime when there is work to be done in New York City. This is just another PR stunt designed to show him as a st ..read more

New York, NY—Today, Congress released its framework for the Fiscal Year 2024 funding bill, allocating $1.2 trillion for the Department of Homeland Security.  The spending proposal makes clear that the GOP leveraged their power to exact some concerning concessions when it comes to aid to localities and detention and border enforcement. These proposed policies include increased funding for ICE’s surveillance and enforcement initiatives, expansion of detention beds, and recruitment of additional border patrol agents along the southern border.    Murad Awawdeh, President and CE ..read more