Dear John, 

Yesterday we won critical victories in our NY United Campaign for immigrant New Yorkers! Despite the shadow that COVID-19 cast on the legislative session, we were able to save crucial funding for legal services and refugee support from being cut from New York State’s budget thanks to the leadership of Governor Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, and Senator Brad Hoylman and Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz.

Over the past few weeks, we deployed every tactic in our digital toolbox to bring attention to the needs of immigrant New Yorkers, who have been left behind by the federal stimulus package. We deployed videos, made ad buys on TV and on Facebook, launched peer-to-peer texting, developed email and social media campaigns, and hosted press conferences on Zoom—not to mention making lots and lots of phone calls. 

Because of your support and engagement in this effort, we made sure New York’s Liberty Defense Project (LDP) wasn’t slashed from the budget. LDP, which funds legal services for immigrant New Yorkers, is a crucial lifeline for our communities, especially as immigrant families continue to be terrorized by Trump’s deportation machine amidst this crisis.