
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.
RESOURCES
NYLPI’s Comments on “Public Charge” Grounds of Inadmissibility
Press Release: Detained Immigrants Report Continued Retaliation, Medical Neglect, Racist Abuse and Deplorable Conditions at New York Jail
Major Hospitals, Healthcare Networks, Clinics, and Medical Providers Urge Expansion of Health Coverage to New Yorkers Regardless of Immigration Status
Coverage4All Memo of Support
Medical Providers Network: Fall 2021 Update Report
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Campaigns
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

Emily Hodgkins
Post-Graduate Legal Fellow
Arielle Wisbaum
Health Justice Fellow
Amber Khan
Director of Health Justice
Yleana Roman
Senior Staff Attorney
Justin Wood
Director of Policy
Maureen Belluscio
Senior Staff Attorney
Marinda van Dalen
Senior Staff Attorney
Karina Albistegui Adler
Law Graduate
NYLPI Supports Assembly Bill Promoting Autonomy of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
NYLPI strongly endorses Assembly Bill A8586-A, which promotes the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through supported decision-making. As the legislative findings for A8586A note, “[e]veryone uses supports” and people with disabilities...

NYLPI Opposes Senate Bill S7374 for Upholding Online Discriminating Practices
NYLPI goes on record with strong opposition to Senate Bill S7374, which limits the rights of people with visual and hearing disabilities, removes incentives for digital spaces to be accessible, and places additional and unnecessary burdens onto people with...

NYLPI Joins Advocates in Albany to Demand an End to ICE Contracts and Detention in NY
This Wednesday, the Health Justice team joined organizational partners and directly impacted community members in Albany to urge state legislators to co-sponsor the NY Dignity Not Detention Act (S.7373/A.7099A). The NY Dignity Not Detention Act will end the state’s...

Gotham Gazette: Advocates Outline Priorities for Climate Action Council
GOTHAM GAZETTE | MAY 2022 More than 200 people signed up to speak at New York's Climate Action Council May committee hearing concerning climate priorities to meet New York's goal of zero emissions by 2023. NYLPI Director of Environmental Justice and steering committee...

NYLPI and NY Renews Demand Halt of North Brooklyn Pipeline
NYLPI, in coalition with NY Renews and hundreds of environmental organizations, has written a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) demanding the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) deny the...

NYLPI Rallies for Commercial Waste Zone Implementation at City Council Hearing
Sanitation workers, environmental justice and climate leaders, safe streets advocates, and elected officials rallied on the steps of City Hall to demand the immediate implementation of Local Law 199 of 2019, which has been delayed for more than two years. The...

NYLPI Signs Call to Action to Reach Every Reader
NYLPI has joined 70 organizations in signing a call for collective action centered on the goal of universal literacy in NY schools and a pledge to assure all children in all classrooms have the skills to be lifelong readers. Read the full letter from Advocates for...

The Brian Lehrer Show: When a Mental Health Crisis Prompts a 911 Call
THE BRIAN LEHRER SHOW | APRIL 2022 WNYC Public Safety correspondent Matt Katz spoke with Brian Lehrer for The Brian Lehrer Show podcast about Mayor Eric Adams' proposal to invest more funds into New York City's Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division...

City & State: B-HEARD Still Routes Most Mental Health Calls to the Police
CITY & STATE | APRIL 2022 Activists are criticizing Mayor Eric Adams' budget proposal and its inclusion of $55 million towards New York City's Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division (B-HEARD) program. The pilot program attempts to remove police...

NYLPI Advocates for Transgender and Non-Binary People in Albany For LGBTQI Advocacy Day
NYLPI Legal Fellow Arielle Wisbaum, an immigration attorney in the UndocuCare TGNCI+ project, joined the Equality New York Coalition (EQNY) in Albany to meet with elected officials and advocate for legislation that will lead to a more equitable community for all...