On Aug. 12, Mayor Mamdani, Gov. Hochul and Attorney General James stood together against the Trump administration’s contract changes to immigration legal services.
Hochul announced $7.25 million in funding for unaccompanied immigrant children, 1,400 of whom face removal proceedings in New York and 250 of whom are currently detained.
The announcement by New York officials comes after the federal government did not renew its contract with the Acacia Center for Justice on July 31, and now withholds more than $65 million in payment to nearly 100 legal providers for immigrants nationally.
“While the Trump administration is walking away from these children, New York is stepping up to help bridge the gap and ensure their continued access to the services they need and deserve,” Hochul said in a press release.
Mamdani said that the federal government has selected alternate legal providers “lack the credibility and the seriousness to protect these children – including one organization whose founder and former CEO, a retired ICE agent, resigned due to sexual misconduct allegations.”
The Mayor described the non-renewal of the former contract as “Nothing less than a deportation order.”
“New York will never stand by while vulnerable children are left to navigate our immigration system alone," said James. "We will continue fighting to protect immigrant New Yorkers and push back against federal overreach that puts families and communities at risk. Every New Yorker deserves a fair day in court and access to justice."
This is not the first case of counter policies between New York and the federal government. Hochul previously signed laws prohibiting New York’s local collaboration with immigration enforcement agencies. The prohibition of ICE agents to wear masks was blocked by a federal court ruling earlier this month.
The allocated $7.25 million is being executed through the New York State Office for New Americans, in collaboration with a coalition of legal service providers led by the Hispanic Federation.
