Immigrant-ARC Statement on the NYS Budget Deal: We Must Put Our Money Where Our Mouth is

NEW YORK, NY (04/11/2022) (readMedia)-- Immigrant ARC (I-ARC) commended leaders in Albany for raising funds for legal services, from $16.4 million to $20 million in the budget for FY2023. The increase was the first in five years. However, to meaningfully address the desperate shortage of affordable legal help faced by immigrant New Yorkers, I-ARC urged leaders to raise the funding to $24.4 million, dedicate $3 million in economic development funds to services for Afghan refugees, and pass the Access to Representation Act to guarantee access to counsel for any New Yorker facing deportation.

"New York has long been a national leader in funding immigration service providers, and we're glad lawmakers chose to increase funding for the first time in five years. But this less than $4 million increase is simply not enough: The backlog in immigration courts created by closures during the pandemic, increased enforcement during the Trump presidency, and the needs created by new migration crises around the world cannot be addressed without a significant increase for immigration legal services. And with the influx of Afghan immigrants across the state, we were disappointed that leaders did not include $3 million in economic development funding for resettlement. The State budget is a good start, but if we want to live up to the beacon of hope we imagine New York to be, we have to start putting our money where our mouth is and properly fund legal services," said Camille Mackler, founder and Executive Director of I-ARC.

About I-ARC

Immigrant ARC is a collaborative of over 80 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.