The Migrants, The Buses, The Tents: Legal Learnings From NYC’s Immigration Crisis So Far

The eyes of New York are upon the buses arriving from Texas. The crisis shines a light on a host of legal issues. This program asks, for example:

What’s the size and shape of the crisis? How many buses? How many people? Where did they start out, how exactly did they wind up in New York City, and where are they today?

Can they do that? What legal basis do the State of Texas and the City of El Paso rely on for sending the migrant buses here?

What are the migrants’ rights once in New York City? Once the migrants step off the buses, what is their legal position in seeking shelter, education, healthcare, or other services?

What’s the legal “emergency”? Mayor Adams declared a state of emergency – what does that mean? Legal authority; scope and duration of the declaration; powers gained, burdens avoided.

What does it mean to be a “sanctuary city”? Does that status put any legal boundaries around New York’s response? Where are the feds? How do New York City’s challenges intersect with federal immigration law?

Litigation prospects: Is anybody suing anybody over all this?

What are the migrants’ prospects to stay here legally?

Speakers:

Karen Zraick (Moderator), New York Times Metro Reporter
Murad Ahwawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition
Deborah Berkman, Supervising Attorney, New York Legal Assistance Group
Karla Nieman, City Attorney for El Paso, Texas
Sheryl Neufeld, Chief Assistant Corporation Counsel for Regulatory Law and Policy, City of New York