Dear Friends of IDP:

We are encouraged to be ending this difficult year—and the close of the Trump presidency— with a remarkable win: the signing of the Protect Our Courts Act into law, our bill to get #ICEOutofCourts. By enacting this law, New York has taken a momentous step for immigrant rights by stopping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from surveilling, arresting, and terrorizing immigrant New Yorkers at courthouses.  

Three and a half years ago, IDP started receiving calls on our hotline about an uptick in ICE operations at NYS courthouses. By the end of 2018, IDP recorded a 1700% increase in ICE courthouse operations from the previous year. ICE made no secret of using raids to destabilize immigrant-friendly cities, and New York’s criminal legal system, including courthouses, was an all too convenient place for ICE to ambush them.

When we started this campaign, it seemed like an impossible one to win. There was not much appetite by those in power to advance a novel approach to protect the rights of immigrants. But the stories we collected of what ICE was doing were too alarming to ignore: plain-clothed ICE agents tackling New Yorkers in courthouse hallways; dragging people from their cars; targeting victims of trafficking and intimate partner violence. Bystanders frequently told us that they thought they were witnessing a kidnapping right outside of a courthouse—unaware that what was happening was an act of state-sanctioned violence.

This week, we celebrate as we finally get to give ICE the boot and kick them out of New York’s courts for good! This victory is only possible because of the dedication of the ICE Out of Courts Coalition and the steadfast commitment of IDP’s entire staff. Our team answered countless calls through our hotline, carefully documented courthouse arrests, developed innovative legal theories, published multiple reports, and organized a statewide coalition of advocates that refused to back down. We provided a wide range of community defense resources and trainings, and documented and shared ICE policing tactics on our ICEwatch raids map.

Together, we have made what seemed to be an impossible win a reality. ICE tried to bully New York into undoing protections for immigrants who have contact with the police, but instead, we expanded the rights of all immigrants and effectively fought back against the vilification of immigrants with convictions. Your support and solidarity are critical in our fight against the harms of ICE policing and the criminalization of immigrants. Even with this new law and a new administration, this fight is not over. Please continue to stand with us by donating here to bolster our work in 2021.

To learn more about the new law and how we got here, check out IDP’s ICE Out of Courts Policy Overview. 

In solidarity,
Mizue Aizeki
Interim Executive Director