Caribbean immigration advocates, lawmakers rally for $165M for legal services

Caribbean immigration advocates and lawmakers on Monday rallied in Albany for an investment of $165 million in the State budget for immigration legal services and infrastructure.

The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), partners, legal service providers, immigrant New Yorkers and allies rallied at the New York State Capitol in support of the Access to Representation Act (ARA, S141/A270) and the Building Up Immigrant Legal Defense Act (BUILD Act, A2689/S4538) for the 2025 New York State Legislative Session.

NYIC, an umbrella policy and advocacy organization that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout New York, said the ARA would be the first of its kind in the nation.

It said it would guaranteeing Caribbean and other immigrants facing deportation the right to legal counsel in New York State and ensure that they have a fair chance to fight for their freedom.

NYIC said the BUILD Act lays the groundwork for ARA by investing in the critical legal infrastructure needed for service providers to create, maintain and expand programs to protect immigrant New Yorkers.

“As the budget session reaches its final stretch—and in light of unprecedented hostility to immigrants at the federal level—the urgency to create the right to legal representation for immigrants has never been greater,” said Murad Awawdeh, NYIC’s president and CEO.

“Justice and due process are not privileges; they are fundamental principles that the State must defend,” he added. “This is a pivotal moment to take bold action and guarantee that every New Yorker, no matter their immigration status, is guaranteed a fair chance at due process and equal rights.”

Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, District 47, said: “We must protect New York’s immigrant community from the attacks that President Trump has promised.

“Now is the time to make significant financial investments in immigrant legal representation, protect our immigrant communities from overreaches by Donald Trump’s Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and pass the Access to Representation Act (S.141), which I sponsor with Assemblymember Cruz, into law,” he said.

“The ARA will guarantee that all those in New York State facing legal challenges related to their immigration status have access to lawyers, which is not currently the case,” he added. “Legal representation can quite literally determine if thousands of parents are separated from their children or not.

“By investing in immigrant legal services, we can protect vulnerable communities, stop family separation and reform our broken immigration court system, before Donald Trump has the chance to damage it even further,” Hoylman-Sigal continued.

Assembly Member Cruz, District 39, said,  “New York has always been a sanctuary for those seeking safety, opportunity, and justice. But without legal representation, too many of our immigrant neighbors are forced to fight for their futures alone in a system designed to push them out.

“As we confront the renewed threats of mass deportation and family separation, we must meet this moment with action,” she urged. “Passing the Access to Representation Act and the BUILD Act is not just about policy — it’s about standing up for the fundamental right to due process.

“Our state must invest $165 million in legal services to ensure that no New Yorker is left without a fighting chance.” Cruz added. “This is how we uphold our values, protect our communities, and push back against the injustice of an immigration system that too often denies fairness to those who need it most.”

As Caribbean and other families across New York and the nation face increasing threats of deportation, Sen. John Liu, District 16, said it is “vital that our courts uphold the law and ensure every individual has the legal support they need to navigate an increasingly complex system.

“The Access to Representation and BUILD Act will provide the necessary legal infrastructure to meet the growing demand for representation in our courts and ensure no families are broken up without a fair fight,” he said. “Thank you to the CARE for Immigrant Families Coalition and my colleagues in the legislature for continuing to fight for resources to protect fellow New Yorkers.”

Sen. Pete Harckham, District 40, said that, “in these perilous time for immigrants in the United States, maintaining and increasing the resources that will help them is a must.

“People facing deportation need the representation of a lawyer, and as a co-sponsor of the Access to Representation Act,” he said. “That’s why I will continue to support immigration legal services.

“Our many new Americans bolster our communities and contribute greatly to our economy—so let’s invest in their future—and a future that benefits all of us,” he added.

Assembly Member Claire Valdez, District 37, said that, without a lawyer, “immigrants in detention or facing deportation have little chance of seeing justice.

“Imagine being arrested, separated from your family, and forced to navigate an impossibly complex legal system alone,” she said. “We must pass the Access to Representation Act to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to legal counsel and that all families are protected.”

Rosie Wang, program manager, Advancing Universal Representation initiative, Vera Institute of Justice, warned that the Trump administration’s “relentless anti-immigrant agenda has put millions of people at risk for mass deportation, family separation, and indefinite detention.

“These unlawful attacks will devastate local communities and destabilize New York’s economy,” she said, noting that, last Friday, the Trump administration moved to effectively shut down legal representation for unaccompanied children in immigration court.

“In the face of this dangerous rollback, New York must lead by making investments that ensure that these children have representation, and must defend all immigrant New Yorkers against an unprecedented federal assault on their rights,” she said.

Wang said that, while the Senate and Assembly proposed $75 million for immigration legal services in their one house budgets, “this is simply not enough.

“The State must invest $165 million to meet the urgent needs and must pass critical legislation like the Access to Representation and BUILD Acts to protect every New Yorker’s rights,” she urged. “The stakes couldn’t be higher, and leaders must act now.”