At press conference, Advocates and Legislators will call on Governor Cuomo to sign urgent bills to protect Black, brown, Immigrant, and poor New Yorkers. 

This morning at 11 am, IDP and partners will hold a press conference calling on Governor Cuomo to sign urgent legislation, including the Protect Our Courts Act, the Drivers License Suspension Reform Act, the Contact Tracing Confidentiality Act, and the Proximity Bill. All of these bills were passed by the New York State Legislature in July, some with overwhelming support, and would play an important role in protecting Black, brown, poor, and immigrant New Yorkers during an unprecedented public health and economic crisis. 

This press conference will be held via Zoom. Please register here. 
 

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Sign the Bills Week of Digital Action!

Additionally, IDP is also participating in a week of Digital Action in hopes of uplifting all of these bills. Please join us on Thursday, November 19, at 2 pm for a Protect Our Courts Act Power Hour on Twitter. Sample posts, for all bills, can be found here.  

 

Last week, IDP Interim Executive Director Mizue Aizeki spoke with Harper's Bazaar about the work that's left to be done in the aftermath of the recent election. 

Under Trump, immigrant rights advocates, along with allies working on a wide range of social justice issues, fought unimaginable attacks and hate-filled politics with deep roots in systemic racism and xenophobia. Over the years, the Immigrant Defense Project has fought back against the increasing vilification and criminalization of immigrants, including the pervasive notion that certain people present a perpetual threat. Defeating insidious narratives and reimagining a humane immigration system for all will take more than just a change in the White House.

Since the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2002, the United States has deported more than five million people—almost twice as many as in the previous 100 years. DHS effectively merged aspects of the "homeland security state" with the prison industrial complex, normalizing mass deportation and criminalization of immigrants.

Finish reading Mizue's interview with Harper's Bazaar here.