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Is New York City Ready for Syrian Refugees?
Sarah Aziza |
Though Mayor de Blasio has welcomed them, few have arrived, and advocates say a clunky federal refugee policy will make it challenging when they do.
CITY WIRE: THE BLOG
Is Council Speaker Opening the Door to Closing Rikers?
Jarrett Murphy |
Melissa Mark-Viverito is launching a commission to look at alternatives. The rationale for—and complexities in—shuttering the island of jails was the focus of a November City & State/City Limits series.
Bronx
Inmates Want Files to Prove Innocence. DA Can’t Find Them.
Stan Johnson, Brianna Lorenzana, Cristyn Mingo, Arlenis Pena, Rickie Quansah, Kayla Ray, Adaury Rodriguez and Nickie Uwoghiren |
A handful of inmates convicted of violent crimes sued the prosecutor in recent years to demand documents under the freedom of information act. In some cases, the files simply couldn’t be found.
On the Border of Justice
What is Life Like in Immigration Detention?
Jarrett Murphy |
Reporter Batya Ungar-Sargon, immigration lawyer Talia Peleg and professional signer (and one-time immigration detainee) Nnecka Ifemesia appeared on the Brian Lehrer Show to discuss the City Limits series “On the Border of Justice.”
Immigration
Visa Rules, Distant Pride and Fast Food: The Real Life of NYC’s Immigrants
Nicole Ashley, Kazi Awal, Johanna Chisholm, Shane English, Devin Holt, Janae Hunter, Everic White |
The U.S. debate about immigration moves in broad strokes: images of Syrian refugees massing at Europe’s borders, language about threats and dreams. For foreign-born people in New York, life rarely matches the rhetoric. It’s about bending visa rules to make life possible, pride in a homeland they can’t visit, and fast food that provides a link to the past.
On the Border of Justice
Surviving Immigration Court: A Video Discussion
Jarrett Murphy |
Watch a lawyer, a woman who spent six months in immigration detention and a City Limits reporter discuss the court system that decides who gets to stay in the U.S. and who doesn’t.
On the Border of Justice
Those Seeking Better Life, Agency Pledged to Detect Fraud Clash in Immigration Court
Batya Ungar-Sargon |
In hearings for those seeking asylum, claims of persecution must be evaluated by judges and ICE with little evidence to go on, and a byzantine system of laws to guide the way.
On the Border of Justice
Asylum Hearings Decide Whose Danger Makes Them Deserving
Batya Ungar-Sargon |
Applying an antiquated law, often with little evidence to go on, immigration judges must determine not whether or not someone is afraid to go back home, but whether their fear fits into the framework of U.S. asylum policy.
On the Border of Justice
Heavy Burdens and Unfair Fights in Immigration Courts
Batya Ungar-Sargon |
Far from the debate over immigration on the campaign trail, the reality of U.S. policy plays out in immigration courthouses, where lawyers can be hard to come by, detention without a hearing is the norm and the judge you’re assigned can be the difference between deportation or a right to stay.
On the Border of Justice
Immigrants’ Fates Depend on Access to Lawyers
Batya Ungar-Sargon |
Statistics show the whether or not an immigrant is detained during their case, and whether or not they have a lawyer, have enormous bearing on outcomes in immigration court. New York City is leading an effort to make the system more just.
