FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:

Vera Institute: media@vera.org

ALBANY – Lawmakers allocated $64.2 million for immigration legal services in the fiscal year 2026 New York State budget. This investment falls significantly short of the $165 million required for New York to stand up against federal attacks and to protect the rights of immigrants facing the Trump administration’s unprecedented mass deportation and detention agenda. The CARE for Immigrant Families coalition is doubling down on its campaign to pass permanent legislative solutions. New York must pass the Access to Representation Act (ARA) to ensure that the right to legal representation in immigration cases is enshrined in state law. New York must also pass the Building Up Immigrant Legal Defense (BUILD) Act to fund the scaling up of legal service providers to meet current and future needs.

Rosie Wang, program manager at the Vera Institute of Justice's Advancing Universal Representation initiative, said: “At a time when millions of New Yorkers face escalating threats of deportation, detention, and family separation, the state’s decision to leave funding for immigration legal services stagnant is disappointing. With the Trump administration ramping up its anti-immigrant agenda, this budget leaves New York unprepared to defend immigrant communities. New York must lead by expanding access to legal representation, not merely maintaining the status quo. We call on the legislature to correct this failure by passing the Access to Representation Act and the BUILD Act and by securing the resources needed to ensure every New Yorker has access to legal services to protect their rights. The stakes couldn’t be higher and leaders must act now.”

Camille Mackler, Executive Director at Immigrant ARC, said “Now more than ever, New York must invest in legal services for immigrants—not just to defend individual people, but to protect entire communities that are under attack. Legal representation is one of the last lines of defense against unjust detention and deportation. At this moment, when both immigrant communities and the legal service providers who support them are in the crosshairs of the federal government, it is unfortunate that New York State has failed to demonstrate a stronger commitment. If we care about due process and the rule of law, then we must fund the infrastructure that makes those principles real for every New Yorker, regardless of immigration status.”

Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, NY Immigration Coalition: “As immigrants across the state and nation continue to come under attack from a hostile federal government, it is disappointing that the state invested only $64.2 million for immigrant legal services, falling short of the $165 million needed to meet the moment. As Donald Trump and his administration escalate their attacks on immigrant communities, New York must lead the nation in its support for immigrants–the stability of our communities and New York’s economy depends on it. We urge our leaders in Albany to pass the Access to Representation Act (ARA) and the BUILD Act to expand legal services, protect immigrant families, and ensure no New Yorker faces detention or deportation alone.”

###

About the Campaign for Access, Representation, and Equity (CARE) for Immigrant Families: The Vera Institute of Justice, the New York Immigration Coalition, and Immigrant Advocates Response Collective (ARC) launched the CARE for Immigrant Families campaign, a coalition of more than 100 advocacy organizations, religious groups, and elected officials united to pass the Access to Representation Act. The bill (S999A/A170A) will guarantee access to legal representation for immigrants at risk of deportation in New York. Sponsored by Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal 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.