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Immigrant Justice

What We do

More than three million immigrants live in New York City. They helped weave the fabric of the City’s history and are critical to its future. Yet these communities face unjust and unlawful barriers to living, working, going to school, and accessing healthcare. Entrenched barriers based on immigration status leave hundreds of thousands without medical care. Government agencies routinely deny access to services based on language ability—often a form of discrimination based on national origin.

Changes to immigration policy and increased enforcement have created fear of accessing government services and critical medical care. Recently proposed revisions to the “public charge” rules are projected to cause significant pullback in community members’ using government health and food security programs – even for children – because eligible immigrants are afraid of risking their status. Drastically reduced federal civil rights enforcement has left our client communities more vulnerable to abuse.

NYLPI has a long commitment to immigrant justice and to addressing the challenges faced by immigrant communities. Notable successes include our coalition efforts that achieved Executive Order 26, a statewide language access policy that demands that state agencies that interact directly with the public translate vital public documents in the most common non-English languages and provide interpretation services, and SafeRx, a law requiring pharmacy and mail-order chains to provide translation and interpretation. Our class action litigation resulted in the New York City Transit Authority’s robust language access policy for Access-A-Ride, the City’s paratransit service for people with disabilities. Our current litigation challenges the human rights crisis in healthcare for people in immigration detention. We fight for healthcare for undocumented uninsured immigrants with serious health conditions whose status should not bar access to health insurance and effective medical care. We will continue to adapt and respond to the rapid pace of changing needs of our immigrant communities.

GET HELP

If you are a person with a serious health condition and you are uninsured; in immigration detention; or denied language access at hospitals – we may be able to help.  Please also call us if you are have trouble accessing any government services because of language access.  Please call (212) 244-4664, Monday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Campaigns

Transplant Equity Campaign

Fair Housing

Rapid gentrification in New York City has created an affordable housing crisis. People with disabilities and immigrants are at particular risk for discrimination.

Health in Immigration Detention

Thousands of immigrant New Yorkers receive abysmal health care in immigrant detention facilities in and around the City.

Coverage4All

As part of the Coverage 4 All Coalition Steering Committee, we pursue health coverage for all New Yorkers regardless of immigration status.

UndocuCare

For the 250,000 immigrant New Yorkers who are undocumented and uninsured, access to healthcare is deeply limited.

Cases

Sosa v. Hudson County

Bonilla v. Hudson County

The family of Carlos Bonilla, a father of four who died from internal bleeding in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention, has filed a lawsuit against Hudson County and those responsible for his medical care while he was confined to immigration detention at Hudson County Correctional Center.

Jorge v. NYC Transit Authority

For years, the New York City Transit Authority refused to make Access-A-Ride available to people with disabilities who had limited English proficiency.

Charles v. United States

Charles v. United States is a federal lawsuit against the United States for failing to provide mental health discharge planning to an individual with diagnosed mental illnesses who was confined to immigration detention.

Charles v. Orange County

Charles v. Orange County is a federal lawsuit challenging Orange County, New York’s unconstitutional “discharge and dump” policy targeted at New Yorkers with mental illness in immigration detention.

Staff

Ruth Lowenkron Featured Speaker at Human Rights Watch’s “Support and Not Coercion: Rethinking Crisis Response in New York City”

Ruth Lowenkron Featured Speaker at Human Rights Watch’s “Support and Not Coercion: Rethinking Crisis Response in New York City”

Ruth Lowenkron, director of Disability Justice at NYLPI, will speak on a panel at CUNY Graduate Center on December 14, "Support and Not Coercion: Rethinking Crisis Response in New York City." This event Human Rights Watch event marks one year since Mayor Eric Adams...

NYLPI Joined Elected Officials and Transit and Disability Advocates at a Congestion Pricing Rally

NYLPI Joined Elected Officials and Transit and Disability Advocates at a Congestion Pricing Rally

NYLPI joined Governor Kathy Hochul, MTA Chair Janno Lieber and President Richard Davey, along with members of the Congestion Pricing Now coalition, journalists and transit and disability advocates at a packed Congestion Pricing Rally at Union Square on December 5,...

NYLPI Submits Comments Regarding the New York Section 1332 State Innovation Waiver

NYLPI Submits Comments Regarding the New York Section 1332 State Innovation Waiver

NYLPI's Health Justice program submitted comments regarding amending the New York Section 1332 State Innovation Waiver in order to increase healthcare opportunities for marginalized communities, including immigrants and people with disabilities. "NYLPI’s Health...

PoliticoPro: Ruth Lowenkron Featured in Newsletter Regarding NYC’s Involuntary Hospitalization Directive

PoliticoPro: Ruth Lowenkron Featured in Newsletter Regarding NYC’s Involuntary Hospitalization Directive

POLITICOPRO | NOVEMBER 2023 Ruth Lowenkron, director of Disability Justice at NYLPI, was featured a Politico newsletter, discussing Mayor Eric Adams' involuntary mental health directive. According to Politico, per city data, 130 people per week have been sent...

Harlem World Magazine: Paola Martinez-Boone Discusses Troubling Findings in NYLPI’s New Special Education Report

Harlem World Magazine: Paola Martinez-Boone Discusses Troubling Findings in NYLPI’s New Special Education Report

HARLEM WORLD | NOVEMBER 2023 NYLPI's new special education report, “A Crisis In Special Education: New York City’s Failure to Educate Students Classified with ‘Emotional Disability,’ A Proposal for Systemic Change" was featured in a story in Harlem World magazine....

Help the Coverage4All Coalition Fight for Healthcare Coverage for All New Yorkers

Help the Coverage4All Coalition Fight for Healthcare Coverage for All New Yorkers

Earlier this month, New York submitted a second addendum to the 1332 Waiver application and as a result, there will be a virtual Public Hearing on Tuesday, November 28th to collect comments. Separately, CMS is also accepting comments, which can be submitted via our...

NYLPI Releases New Report: “A Crisis In Special Education” Details New York DOE’s Failure to Support Students Classified with Emotional Disability

NYLPI Releases New Report: “A Crisis In Special Education” Details New York DOE’s Failure to Support Students Classified with Emotional Disability

NYLPI's Disability Justice Program has released a new report regarding special education in New York titled, "A Crisis In Special Education: New York City's Failure to Educate Students Classified with 'Emotional Disability,' A Proposal for Systemic Change." This...

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