The New
York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is calling on the United States government
to end inhumane treatment of immigrant children immediately, reunite children
with their parents and families, and provide basic necessities, such as medical
care and proper nutrition, to all children in its custody.
NYSBA’s
call for action is outlined
in a resolution, which reflects the 143-year
Association’s long-standing commitment to supporting the rule of law, access to
justice, and due process.
“We
condemn, in the strongest terms possible, the shameful and merciless treatment
of children in the custody of the federal government,” said NYSBA President
Hank Greenberg. “The conditions under which many of them are being held gravely
threaten their well-being and physical and emotional development. It is unconscionable and must cease
immediately.”
On June
28, 2019, NYSBA’s executive committee passed a resolution, urging the state to enact a right to
counsel in immigration proceedings, thereby guaranteeing legal representation
for immigrants facing deportation.
Recent
news accounts revealed that nearly 350 children — including unaccompanied
minors who traveled to the United States alone, as well as children who were
separated from their families at the border — were being held in a federal
immigration detention facility in Texas under deplorable conditions.
Attorneys
at work in the facility report that children were being held in inhumane
conditions, including being forced to sleep on cold floors, going without food
and necessary medical treatment for such conditions as flu and lice, being
denied access to the rudiments of basic hygiene, and leaving the care and
comfort of the youngest children in the hands of children only a few years
older.
NYSBA has
actively promoted and participated in efforts to assist immigrants in New York
and throughout the United States. The association has supported the work of pro
bono volunteer lawyers at the Canadian border and in the most remote
corners of New York’s rural communities.
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About the New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar
Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since
1876, NYSBA has helped shape the development of law, educated and informed the
legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers through
advocacy and guidance in our communities.
Contact: Dan Weiller
[email protected]
518-369-5550
