This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) finally signed the Protect Our Courts Act after the New York State Legislature approved it in July. This bill is meant to stop law enforcement from arresting undocumented immigrants at courthouses. Between 2016 and 2018, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in and around New York courthouses grew from 11 operations to 202 operations. The Protect Our Courts Act will require immigration enforcement to have an arrest warrant signed by a judge to arrest someone at a courthouse. New York State Read our original story at Documented.
公寓没热水或暖气?在纽约市这是违法的!
In other local immigration news…
ICE Detainee Arrested After Escaping Essex County Jail
Luis Cordon-Guzman, a Guatemalan citizen and ICE detainee, was arrested Saturday after escaping Essex County Correctional Facility on Dec. 4 and is facing additional federal charges. Immigration officials say Cordon-Guzman climbed a perimeter wall while taking out trash at the jail. Cordon-Guzman was arrested in Trenton in March and charged with burglary and simple assault. Those charges were eventually dropped. But because Cordon-Guzman was deported from the U.S. in 2019 and reentered illegally, ICE held him at Essex County jail after his release, and he now faces federal charges. North Jersey and New Jersey 101.5
Jersey City Renters Receive $1,500 Checks
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop announced the city will provide $1,500 checks to renters who are dealing with economic hardships due to the pandemic. City spokesperson Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said the Relief Fund’s Hardship Grant program, which includes $200,000 to Northeast NJ Legal Services to fund eviction relief efforts, will start in January. She also said the program will help provide legal counsel to all residents facing housing troubles regardless of their immigration status. In September, the city provided grants of up to $20,000 to 6000 Jersey City businesses. Fulop and Hudson County Executive Director Tom DeGise meanwhile are distributing $9 million to small businesses. NJ.com
Immigrant Employers Overworked by Brentwood Gas Station Owner
Jernail Singh, who owns a gas station in Brentwood on Long Island, is accused of exploiting workers and threatening immigrants to prevent them from reporting his violations to authorities. Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini announced Tuesday that he was charging Singh with labor trafficking, grand larceny by extortion, and other crimes. Singh was accused of paying employees $3.30 per hour and no overtime, despite some employees working between 70 to 100 hours a week. He allegedly owes $275,000 in wages, legal deductions and penalties for underpaying 18 employees over the last three years. Patch