Defending the rights of immigrant families through education, organizing, and cultural programs.
CEP is a member of the Campaign for Access, Representation, and Equity (CARE) for Immigrant Families.
CARE is a coalition of community-based organizations, legal services providers, faith-based groups, unions, and advocates across New York State. At Caribbean Equality Project, we support over 600+ LGBTQ+ asylum seekers from Haiti, Guyana, Jamaica, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, and St. Martin, to name a few countries. Many have fled political unrest or violence, experiencing anti-LGBTQ+ hate and a lack of human rights protection. They endure long waits for immigration hearings and risk unsafe deportation.
As a cruel federal enforcement agenda threatens to devastate New York's immigrant communities, workforce, and families, investing in compassionate immigration policies is not just a moral imperative but a strategic move for our collective safety and economic prosperity. Immigrants facing deportation risk permanent separation from their families and forced return to dangerous or deadly conditions in another country, yet they are not guaranteed a lawyer if they cannot afford one.
As of December 2024, over 160 thousand people in New York found themselves navigating the complexities of immigration court alone, desperately fighting for their lives. The data demonstrates the critical importance of representation: detained immigrants with legal representation are up to 10.5 times more likely to win their case compared to those left without the lifeline that representation offers. For non-detained individuals, 60% of people with legal representation succeed in their cases, compared to a mere 17% of their unrepresented counterparts. This is a call to action—these numbers represent a need for immediate intervention and support for those in dire need.
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Need Photo CaptionThe Fiscal Year 2026 State Enacted Budget must allocate $165 million to meet urgent and long-term legal and social service needs of immigrant families in New York. This investment should comprise:
$100 million for the Office of New Americans
$80 million to sustain and supplement existing grants to ensure that legal services providers can recruit and retain staff to keep pace with growing needs.
$10 million to fund and connect immigrants with programs that help them preserve their rights, gain citizenship, participate in the workforce, and learn English.
$10 million for capacity building for legal service providers so that organizations have the resources to strengthen and expand their programs.
$65 million for the Department of Education
$25 million to expand immigration law clinics and fellowships at accredited New York law schools.
$20 million for a Student Loan Contribution Plan for attorneys committing to pro bono immigration work.
$20 million to create a five-year program to support individuals seeking Department of Justice accreditation to represent immigrants at risk of deportation.
Our State must equip all immigrants facing deportation with the basic tools and support they need to protect their rights, secure economic stability, and remain united with their families. The $44.2 million proposed in the FY26 Executive Budget to fund immigration legal services falls short of last year's $64.2 million investment, resulting in a $20 million cut for critical services that are now needed more than ever.
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Need Photo CaptionWe urge the passage of the Access to Representation Act (ARA, A.270 / S.141) and the Bolstering Unrepresented Immigrant Legal Defense (BUILD, A.2689) Act.
The ARA, if passed, would create a statutory right to counsel for immigrants facing deportation in New York and would create stable and sustainable funding streams for providers trying to meet the urgent need. This bill would guarantee that no one is left to defend themselves against a trained government lawyer alone because they cannot afford representation. It would ensure that, instead, people would have the right to an attorney to help them protect themselves and their families from deportation. The BUILD Act would lay the groundwork for the ARA by funding the infrastructure necessary for legal services providers to create, maintain, and expand robust programs to protect immigrant communities under attack over the next four years. The BUILD Act establishes a dedicated multi-year investment for legal service providers to fund training, holistic services, local and regional coordination strategies, and other measures that build the capacity of legal programs to effectively and efficiently protect the rights of immigrant New Yorkers in the short and long term.
New York State must protect the legacy it began with the groundbreaking New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP), which, during the first Trump administration, was the first publicly funded deportation defense program in the country. Since then, over 50 jurisdictions have followed suit and established and funded their own programs because of New York's success. It is imperative that we lead the way again and stand up for immigrant New Yorkers. We must sustainably expand our acclaimed immigration legal services programs to meet the needs of the moment. The importance of New York's leadership in upholding freedom, fairness, and family unity cannot be overstated—it is a lifeline for the well-being of not only immigrant New Yorkers, but all communities across the State. The current landscape demands swift action. Let us fortify our commitment to a state where everyone, immigrant or not, can thrive—safely at home, in their jobs, and with their families.
Caribbean Equality Project endorses the continued funding of immigration legal services, the expansion of funding to $165 million, and the immediate passage of the BUILD Act and the Access to Representation Act.