Caribbean L 24 ife, October 4 - 10, 2019 BQ
Lawsuits to protect immigrants
and local law enforcement
efforts or protecting
their own rights in
court,” she said. “As a
result, valid prosecutions
have been abandoned, or
never pursued, making
communities less safe.”
The second lawsuit,
filed by New York’s The
Legal Aid Society and
Clearly Gottlieb, seeks a
permanent injunction,
ordering the halt of ICE
courthouse enforcement
on behalf of an individual
plaintiff — a noncitizen
domestic violence
survivor who needed to
appear in court for an
order of protection but
feared the risk of an ICE
arrest coming to a courthouse.
Other plaintiffs
include the non-profit
groups Make the Road
New York, Urban Justice
Center, Sanctuary for
Families, The Door and
the New York Immigration
Coalition.
“The administration
of justice and public
safety are among the
most important functions
of the state, and I
will be relentless in their
defense,” James said.
“When ICE targets witnesses
and victims for
arrests, it deters noncitizens
and immigrants
from assisting in state
and local law enforcement
efforts or protecting
their own rights in
court.
“This is a disastrous
and dangerous break
from previous policy, and
that’s why we are fighting
to force them to end
this practice,” she added.
Gonzalez said that
“if there’s one thing I’ve
learned in my career as
a prosecutor, it’s that law
enforcement can’t keep
people safe without the
participation of the communities
we serve.
“Over the past two
years, numerous immigrant
victims and witnesses
have refused to
come forward and assist
in our prosecutions
out of fear that they’ll
be arrested in court by
immigration agents,
forcing my office to dismiss
or reduce serious
criminal cases,” he said.
“The refusal by ICE to
treat courthouses as sensitive
locations regularly
disrupts court operations,
creates a chilling
effect in immigrant
communities and erodes
public safety.
“The policy is not only
misguided — it exceeds
their lawful authority,
which is why we are
now asking the judiciary
to put an end to it,”
Gonzalez added. “I’d like
to commend Attorney
General James for her
leadership on this issue,
and thank The Legal Aid
Society and the advocacy
groups for fighting on
the front lines against
this growing and intractable
problem.”
Janet Sabel, chief
executive officer and
Attorney-In-Chief of The
Legal Aid Society, noted
that New York State is
home to more than 4
million noncitizens who
are vulnerable to deportation.
Continued from Page 1
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