City Bar Statement on New Report Detailing the Impact of ICE Courthouse Operations in New York

The increasing number of ICE civil arrests in and around New York State courthouses continues to threaten access to justice and undermines the values of due process and federalism enshrined in the Constitution. The New York City Bar Association applauds the work of the ICE Out of Courts Coalition in compiling its report “Safeguarding the Integrity of Our Courts: The Impact of ICE Courthouse Operations in New York State.” This report recounts the “widespread corrosive impact of ICE courthouse operations on New York State Courts” by collecting qualitative and quantitative data from affected stakeholders across the justice system. The resulting picture is a disturbing one, with the increased operations of ICE in state courthouses having a clear negative impact on courthouse processes and the administration of justice, with devastating repercussions for some of New York’s most vulnerable residents. The City Bar has offered recommendations to the Office of Court Administration (OCA) on how to address the harmful effects of ICE enforcement actions, which are cited in the Coalition’s report and reinforced by that report’s findings, and urges OCA to adopt these proposals in order to ensure all individuals unfettered access to justice, regardless of immigration status.

About the Association
The mission of the New York City Bar Association, which was founded in 1870 and has 24,000 members, is to equip and mobilize the legal profession to practice with excellence, promote reform of the law, and uphold the rule of law and access to justice in support of a fair society and the public interest in our community, our nation, and throughout the world. www.nycbar.org