Next year will mark my tenth year as part of the Advisory Board for the Immigrant Defense Project.

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** A Note from Marisol Arriaga, IDP Advisory Board Member
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Dear friends of IDP,

Next year will mark my tenth year as part of the Advisory Board for the Immigrant Defense Project. I have been a lawyer representing survivors of intimate partner violence and human trafficking for over fifteen years and have seen how the rigid categorization of people as “good” or “bad” masks the complexity of each of us as humans. I first connected with IDP to shed greater light on the systemic violence survivors and their loved ones’ experiences in the criminal to deportation pipeline. There is no question that the immigration system of double punishment harms survivors, especially survivors with criminal legal system contacts who are low-income, LGBTQ, Black and/or brown. I see this reality in my work every single day.

Like many other lawyers and advocates, for years, I’ve relied on IDP’s numerous resources to advocate for my clients. From Supreme Court and Circuit Court practice advisories, trainings on the immigration consequences of Family Court proceedings, Know Your Rights community education materials in multiple languages and more, IDP is an indispensable partner that elevates my legal practice. I also look to IDP for innovative policy and legislative solutions and best practices for talking about the need to end criminalization.

My work on the Board has given me an inside look at IDP over the last ten years. IDP is a small organization with an outsized impact. Their work, from litigation that narrows harsh immigration consequences of convictions to kicking ICE out of New York State courts, has made life better for survivors. For over 25 years, the organization has consistently advocated for principled changes that allow immigrants the safety and stability they need to thrive. IDP’s staff take the organization’s mission seriously and work incredibly hard. I’ve seen that the organization stretches every last cent out of its limited resources. This year alone, IDP has:

* Answered over 700 hotline calls and trained nearly 400 lawyers representing immigrants.

* Prompted the government to open a public comment process over post-conviction laws in immigration cases through a coordinated litigation strategy defending post-conviction relief laws in California, New York, and Georgia.
* Exposed troubling collusion between New York City’s Department of Corrections and ICE.
* Defended Padilla v. Kentucky’s guarantee to individualized advice about immigration consequences during a criminal case for immigrants facing denaturalization and deportation.
* Developed and updated community resources for immigrants harmed by the drug war, navigating ICE detainers, and exercising their rights during ICE arrests.

* Brought together over 120 organizations and more than two dozen legislators to support the Justice Roadmap, a set of real world, legislative solutions to community safety and well-being.
* Successfully pressured New York Governor Hochul to fulfill her campaign promise to expand the use of clemency, resulting in 15 pardons for immigrants.

IDP’s work is sustained by partners like you who recognize how essential it is to back organizations taking a principled stance on behalf of all immigrants. Please join me as an ally in the fight for immigrant rights by supporting their work this year. ([link removed])

In solidarity,

Marisol Arriaga, IDP Advisory Board Member

P.S. Below is a sketch IDP shared with me, which I’m now sharing with you all. IDP’s own Genia Blaser captured the IDP staff deep in conversation while planning for 2024 during the staff retreat this year.
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