NYLPI Signs Joint Letter to NY Office of Court Administration, Urges Compliance with the Protect Our Courts Act So NYers May Attend Court Safely

NYLPI joined coalition partners in a letter to Chief Judge Wilson and Chief Administrative Judge Zayas at theNew York Office of Court Administration regarding the Protect Our Courts Act (POCA) which includes urgent recommendations to ensure that New Yorkers' may safelyavail themselves of the New York Courts without fear.

"We write to ask you to take clear, affirmative steps to assure that the courts are operating in compliance with the Protect Our Courts Act ("POCA") and to ensure that people who come to court to address critical issues in their lives can do so without interference from Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") agents and officers.

The below signatories represent public and private attorneys, from public defense and legal services offices to bar associations that collectively represent hundreds of thousands of people with cases in the courts throughout New York. Many of our clients are foreign-born, with a range of statuses-people who have obtained citizenship, are legal permanent residents, and undocumented (both recent arrivals as well as people who have lived in this country for decades). They have in common that they are involved in the court process because of a case where they face a serious consequence or are seeking a much-needed remedy. We write to you today to ask that specific actions be taken to ensure everyone can safely attend these critical court proceedings no matter their background or immigration status.

Prior to POCA's passing, we represented many people who were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") when they appeared in local criminal, family, housing, civil or other court. This not only created suffering for the people who were picked up, it resulted in mayhem in the court buildings while ICE and oftentimes, court personnel, used the courtrooms, hallways, entrances and exits of court buildings to aggressively target and apprehend immigrants attending court proceedings."

Read the full letter here.

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