NYSDA Immigrant Defense Project
The Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) of the New York State Defenders
Association defends the legal, constitutional and human rights of
immigrants facing criminal or deportation charges. We are the nation's
first project founded to respond to the devastation 1996 immigration
laws that placed hundreds of thousands of immigrants at risk of
mandatory detention and deportation for virtually any interaction with
the criminal justice system.
IDP promotes a transformation of the criminal justice and immigration
systems so that they do not result in the exile of immigrants from their
homes and families in the United States. We also seek to minimize
deportation and detention under current laws for immigrants facing
criminal charges or subsequent deportation.
In pursuit of these goals, we (1) serve as a legal resource and training
center for criminal defense attorneys, criminal justice and immigrant
advocates, and immigrants fighting against deportation and detention;
(2) support community-based advocacy against unjust immigration laws and
their aggressive enforcement; and (3) promote immigrant-protective
impact litigation results by recruiting and mentoring pro bono attorneys
to provide legal assistance to immigrants challenging their detention or
removal order in federal court.
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