John,

Imagine facing deportation, family separation, or detention in dangerous facilities—without a lawyer to defend you. For nearly 180,000 immigrants in New York, this is a terrifying reality.

As a returning Trump administration threatens mass detention and deportation, New York must act now to protect our immigrant neighbors. The Campaign for Access, Representation, and Equity (CARE) for Immigrant Families is the first step to ensure due process and access to justice for immigrant New Yorkers facing deportation proceedings.

The CARE4IF campaign advocates for three crucial parts necessary for our communities to receive legal representation:

• Passage of the Access to Representation Act (ARA) to establish a right to universal representation, meaning anyone at risk of deportation who cannot afford a lawyer will be provided with one.
• Passage of the Bolstering Unrepresented Immigrant Legal Defense (BUILD) Act would lay the groundwork for the ARA by funding the infrastructure needed for legal service providers to create, maintain, and expand robust programs that will protect immigrant communities under attack over the next four years.
• Total investment of $165 million in FY26 State Budget to fund immigration legal services, including the establishment of a comprehensive legal services infrastructure to train and hire additional legal teams. 

You can join us in our fight to pass CARE! This Tuesday, we are going to Albany with hundreds of our members and allies to fight for ARA, BUILD, and an increase of funding for legal services!

As we march to the NYS capital and talk to elected officials, we must remember we are fighting for a New York where everyone is entitled to a life of freedom and dignity, and without fear.

Currently, families, young adults, and even children have to face the complex immigration system alone if they cannot find an attorney through their own means, risking being ripped away from their loved ones and being deported back to a country they hardly know and where their lives may remain in jeopardy. Everyone deserves a fair day in court, regardless of their ability to afford a lawyer.

Immigrants enrich our communities and boost NY’s economy. Legal services for immigrants would prevent deportations and could bring $8.4 billion in benefits over 30 years.

The stakes are high, but the solution is clear. Together, we can ensure that New York remains a beacon of hope and justice for immigrant families and a national leader for others to follow!

In power,

Kayla Kelechian
Senior Manager of Organizing and Strategy, Central New York

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