Attorney general sues ICE
Letitia James fi les lawsuit to keep enforcement agents away from New York courthouses
BY BILL PARRY
Since President Trump’s
inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017,
courthouse arrests by ICE
agents have skyrocketed by
more than 1,700 percent in New
York, leading to a widespread
chilling effect on non-citizens
willing to initiate and participate
in the judicial system.
Attorney General Letitia
James filed a lawsuit against
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
on Sept. 25 challenging
the legality of the agency’s
practice of making civil immigration
arrests without a
judicial warrant or court order
in and around New York State
courthouses.
“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
non-citizens 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.”
Nearly 400 immigrants,
both undocumented and those
with legal status, have been
arrested while appearing in
and around state courthouses
since January 2017, including
those accused of a crime; parents
appearing in child support
matters; survivors of domestic
violence, sexual assault, human
trafficking and other crimes;
people who are mentally ill or
homeless; and LGBTQ individuals;
among others. Brooklyn
District Attorney Eric Gonzalez
joined the lawsuit saying, “Over
the past two years, numerous
immigrant victims and witnesses
have refused to come forward
and assist in our prosecutions
out of fear they’ll be arrested in
Attorney General Letitia James is suing ICE to keep its agents from
arresting non-citizens at New York courthouses. Courtesy of ICE
court by immigration agents,
forcing my office to dismiss or
reduce serious criminal cases.”
Queens Acting District Attorney
John M. Ryan and the
DA’s from Manhattan Staten Island
and the Bronx did not join
the lawsuit.
“The issue is does New York
State have the authority to prevent
federal agents from carrying
out their duties,” Ryan said
in a statement. “The issue is
does New York State have the authority
to prevent federal agents
from carrying out their duties.
I remain unconvinced that NY
has the power to do that.”
An ICE spokesperson said its
“enforcement activities at courthouses
are consistent with longstanding
practices nationwide.
And, courthouse arrests are often
necessitated by the unwillingness
of jurisdictions to cooperate
with ICE in the transfer
of custody of aliens from their
prisons and jails.”
The Legal Aid Society filed
a second lawsuit seeking 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 the
courthouse.
“New York State is home
to more than 4 million noncitizens
who are vulnerable
to deportation,” The Legal
Aid Society CE and Attorneyin
Chief Janet Sabel said. “In
order for our judicial system,
a pillar of our democracy, to
operate effectively, it is fundamental
that they have equal
access to courts. ICE’s courthouse
enforcement blatantly
violates the constitutional
rights of our clients, as well
as all immigrant New Yorkers,
and we look forward to
addressing this injustice in
court.
Bayside residents blame unnoticeable signage for tickets
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Some Bayside homeowners are overly
frustrated by temporary “No Parking”
construction signs that have been posted
on telephone poles and trees without
notice to the community, resulting in a
ticket blitz that they say is unfair.
For resident Gail Sicoli, finding a
parking spot on her block or around the
corner has been quite an inconvenience
due to the “No Parking” signs, she told
QNS. She has also received a $60 parking
violation ticket and is seeking reimbursement.
According to Sicoli, she received a
community advisory flyer notifying residents
of restricted curbside and driveway
access from 38th Avenue between
206th Street to 205th Street on or about
Sep. 23 to Sept. 27 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“To make things as easy as possible I
parked around the corner on 204 Street
between 36th and 38th Avenue. Note this
is the span of two blocks. I did not see the
temporary metal ‘No Parking’ sign that
was halfway in the middle of the block
high up on a post until the following
morning after I received a ticket,” Sicoli
said.
“Instead of compensating homeowners,
they are penalizing us giving tickets
when the ‘No Parking’ signs aren’t
even visible. I feel like it’s entrapment,”
Sicoli added. “I’ve been living with this
for a year already. They’ve dug up my
sidewalk, repaved it. This whole project
has been going on, even longer on the
other side of Clearview, all down 38th
Avenue.”
On and around 33rd Avenue, 37th Avenue
and 38th Avenue in Bayside have
become a construction zone, resulting
in the placement of the temporary “No
Parking” signs, according to the New
York City Department of Design and
Construction (DDC). The project is anticipated
to be completed in summer 2021.
“To reduce flooding and improve water
infrastructure reliability in Bayside,
DDC is replacing old trunk water mains,
replacing old storm sewers and installing
new storm sewers,” a DDC spokeswoman
told QNS. “Fire protection will
also be enhanced with the installation of
additional fire hydrants.”
Although the “No Parking” signs
have been posted, there has been no construction
activity at all, Sicoli said.
“I have been surrounded by heavy
equipment and gargantuan steel frames
and wooden platforms for a year now,
with another two years to go,” Sicoli said
in her Sept. 30 complaint to the Community
Construction Liaison (CCL). “It is
unacceptable to receive a ticket when no
advance warning was given that half of
the street where we could normally park
is no longer available. You cannot see the
signs at night and they face the street,
A temporary No Parking construction
sign posted on a tree.
not the cars!!”
Photo: Carlotta Mohamed/QNS
Sicoli’s friend and neighbor, Karen
Salvio, who lives on 202 Street and 38th
Avenue has received two parking violation
tickets, one she says that is $115 for
parking in a construction zone.
“They put up the signs when everyone
was sleeping, I guess,” Salvio said. “I
also wrote a note saying that it was totally
bogus. It’s insanity. They’re using up
the whole block and there’s nothing here.
I can see the corner and down the block
where they have put their stuff, but they
don’t have to use a residential street.”
According to Salvio, she has also
witnessed a construction worker urinating
on the side of the truck in broad
daylight.
“I should’ve taken a picture and one
of the guys was parked in front of the fire
hydrant the whole day and I went to the
precinct and said he needs a ticket — he
didn’t get one,” Salvio said.
Residents have seen an NYPD ticket
agent parked every day in the area waiting
until 7 a.m. to issue summonses, Sicoli
said. Since being notified by a neighbor,
Sicoli has looked for other signs,
some of which are hidden between trees.
In a statement to QNS, a spokeswoman
for the DDC said, “In response to
concerns from the local community, the
Community Construction Liaison (CCL)
Latisha James for this project will work
with the contractor’s schedule to give
everyone in the affected area a 48- to 72-
hour advanced notice of upcoming parking
restrictions.”
“Those who believe they have received
a parking ticket in error should
reach out to the CCL at qed991ccl@gmail.
com or 347-235-0412 for more information
on how to possibly obtain a parking dispute
letter,” the spokeswoman said.
As of late, Sicoli said she has been
in communication with James and was
notified about the Neighborhood Notification
Network that residents can sign
up for with their email to receive weekly
updates on the progress of the project.
Sicoli has also recommended having
more visible signs posted, which will be
discussed with their resident engineer
and contractor.
4 TIMESLEDGER, OCT. 4-10, 2019 BT QNS.COM
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