FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT: media@vera.org 

ALBANY – On Wednesday, lawmakers finalized the fiscal year (FY) 2027 New York State budget, allocating an additional $10 million for immigrant legal defense and support programs, thereby increasing total funding from $64.2 million in FY2026 to $74.2 million. This funding is part of an overall allocation of $82.48 million to the Office for New Americans (ONA) to support immigration legal and ancillary services, which includes both new funding and reallocation of existing funds from the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA).  

The CARE for Immigrant Families coalition released the following statement in response:

“While we acknowledge that the increase in this year’s New York State budget for immigration legal services under the Office for New Americans breaks a three-year streak of nearly stagnant funding at $64.2 million, this investment ultimately falls dangerously short of what this moment demands. New York is facing an escalating immigration emergency, with the administration's weaponization of immigration courts, surging detentions in cruel conditions, and extreme aggression. 

Legal services providers on the front lines are stretched beyond capacity. The CARE for Immigrant Families coalition made clear throughout this budget process that anything short of doubling current funding would fail our immigrant communities, abandoning neighbors, parents, and colleagues throughout the state without the support they need to defend themselves against unprecedented threats. The full $175 million proposed in the one-house budgets was critically needed to not only stabilize existing rapid-response efforts, but also to scale up desperately needed new legal services.

The consequences of this budget will be enormous—the sheer scale of unmet need means that too many families will not be able to access the legal services they need as attacks on immigrant New Yorkers further intensify. We will continue fighting alongside our allies to ensure New York eventually delivers the robust, fully funded defense our immigrant families urgently require to survive. State leaders still have an opportunity this legislative session to act with courage and urgency by passing the Building Up Immigrant Legal Defense (BUILD) Act and Access to Representation Act, permanent policy solutions that would ensure immigrant New Yorkers have meaningful access to legal representation and that legal service providers have the resources necessary to meet the growing need.”

About the Campaign for Access, Representation, and Equity (CARE) for Immigrant Families: The Vera Institute of Justice, the New York Immigration Coalition, Immigrant ARC, New York Civil Liberties Union, Neighbors Link, and Immigrant Children Advocates’ Relief Effort lead CARE for Immigrant Families, along with a coalition of more than 100 leading organizations, religious groups, labor unions, and elected officials united to call for a $175 million investment in immigration legal services and passage of the Access to Representation Act (ARA) and Building Up Immigrant Legal Defense (BUILD) Act. The ARA (A270/S141) will guarantee access to legal representation for people at risk of deportation in New York. Sponsored by Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris and Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, the legislation would be the first in the nation to create a statewide right to legal representation for people facing deportation who cannot afford it, whether they have recently arrived in the state or have been New Yorkers for decades. The BUILD Act (A2689/S4538) is a companion bill to the ARA that creates a dedicated four-year fund to strengthen New York’s immigration legal services infrastructure, sponsored by Senator John Liu and Assemblymember Catalina Cruz.

The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal justice and immigration systems until they’re fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. We develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn’t determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. Vera’s headquarters is in Brooklyn, New York, with offices in Washington, DC, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit vera.org.

Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative (I-ARC) is a collaborative of over 100 organizations and professional associations providing legal services to New York’s immigrant communities throughout the state. Born out of the legal effort at JFK Airport during the Muslim travel ban in 2017, our mission is clear: to mobilize New York State’s legal service providers by facilitating communication and information-sharing to better support our immigrant communities; to organize and respond to issues as they arise by coordinating resources and fostering best practices among providers; and to resist and challenge anti-immigrant policies by shining a light on injustices and confronting inequalities faced by our communities in the legal system. For more information, visit www.immigrantarc.org.

The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) is an umbrella policy and advocacy organization that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout New York. The NYIC serves one of the largest and most diverse newcomer populations in the United States. The multiracial and multisector NYIC membership base includes grassroots and nonprofit community organizations, religious and academic institutions, labor unions, and legal and socioeconomic justice organizations. The NYIC not only establishes a forum for immigrant groups to voice their concerns but also provides a platform for collective action to drive positive social change. Since its founding in 1987, the NYIC has evolved into a powerful voice of advocacy by spearheading innovative policies, promoting and protecting the rights of immigrant communities, improving newcomer access to services, developing leadership and capacity, expanding civic participation, and mobilizing member groups to respond to the fluctuating needs of immigrant communities.

New York Civil Liberties Union advances civil rights and civil liberties so that all New Yorkers can live with dignity, liberty, justice, and equality. Founded in 1951 as the state affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union, we marshal an expert mix of litigation, policy advocacy, field organizing, and strategic communications. Informed by the insights of our communities and coalitions and powered by 90,000 member-donors, we work across complex issues to create more justice and liberty for more people.

Neighbors Link is a nonprofit organization that works to build stronger communities through immigrant empowerment and integration. We are headquartered in Mount Kisco, have three locations in Westchester County, and offer services throughout the Hudson Valley. We serve more than 10,000 immigrants annually. Our work to educate, empower, and employ families includes English language education, immigration legal services, workforce development, parent education, digital literacy programming, early childhood programs, and academic support for school-age children of immigrants. Our legal department, Neighbors Link Community Law Practice, provides a full array of free immigration legal services.

Immigrant Children Advocates’ Relief Effort (ICARE) is a coalition of legal advocates dedicated to expanding access to legal representation for immigrant children facing deportation in New York City, while advocating for universal access to counsel. Since 2014, ICARE has supported over 14,000 unaccompanied children through a centralized referral system that connects young people to quality legal representation, strengthens provider capacity, and drives policy advocacy. Visit www.icarecoalition.org to learn more.