In advance of ICE raids planned for Sunday, state Senator Michael Gianaris issued an emergency guide for those in the Queens immigrant community that may be facing deportation.
The handout outlines for individuals and families how to handle potential visits from immigration enforcement agents.
“ICE is carrying out a destructive federal policy tearing families apart and I will do whatever is needed to help New Yorkers fight this tragic policy,” Gianaris said. “I hope this guide serves as a resource for families to protect themselves against divisive and threatening federal policies.”
The resource guide is available in both English and Spanish at Gianaris’s disrict office located at 31-19 Newtown Ave. in Astoria and online at https://bit.ly/2G8ZGLm.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “New York will continue to stand with all immigrants to ensure they have the full protections afforded under the law.”
Anyone in need of free legal assistance can call 1-800-566-7636, the Governor’s office said. The service is provided in over 200 languages and all call information is kept confidential.
“Once again the Trump administration is reportedly gearing up to send ICE agents into our cities with plans to deport 1 million people,” Cuomo said. “This is the latest example of this administration’s politicization of immigration in this country and constant assault on the civil rights and dignity of individuals and families. If any New Yorker, regardless of their immigration status, needs legal assistance, we urge them to make full use of the Liberty Defense Project, our state’s public-private project to assist immigrants with free access to legal services and process.”
Attorney General Letitia James added that if an undocumented immigrant wants to check whether a removal order has been issued against them, they can call the Immigration Court Information System’s automated number at 1-800-898-7180.
“The Trump administration’s insistence on using migrant families as a political bargaining chip with Congressional leaders is as deplorable as it is un-American,” James said. “As New York’s chief law enforcement officer, I will do everything in my power to ensure these families’ rights are protected. I will stand up against any threatened incursions on our state’s civil rights because, in America we value our immigrants.”
