At Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC, our staff, through the program Justice for Immigrants (JFI), has participated in a number of mobilizations in the city and in our state’s capital to show our support for protecting immigrant rights!
We joined the New York Immigration Coalition’s Annual Member Congress in Albany, lobbying our assembly members for the New York for All Act, which would prohibit state and local collusion with federal immigration enforcement; as well as the Access to Representation Act, which would establish a right to universal representation, meaning anyone at risk of deportation who cannot afford a lawyer will be provided one; and finally, demanding that the budget for immigration legal services be increased to at least $175 million.
We also paid our respects at the vigil for Alex Pretti, who was murdered by ICE officers in Minnesota, as well as attended the ICE Out of NYC rally on the designated nationwide shutdown against ICE.
At our office on Friday, January 30th, our Social Services team hosted a Nutrition Workshop for clients, where they learned how to incorporate more vegetables and fruits into their meals. The participants also completed ten minutes of exercise and prepared a healthy recipe—a salad. We hope to continue our work serving the immigrant community whether it be in our office, in the state capital, or in the streets!