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Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York has filed a civil rights complaint against the Rensselaer County Jail in Troy, New York, alleging physical and medical neglect at the facility. The complaint was filed by advocacy groups on behalf of one detained immigrant at the jail and several other women. They said an officer violently tugged at an immigrant’s shackles as she was being transferred into ICE custody, which caused her to bleed and bruise on her hips, ankles and wrists. According to multiple women who had been held there, medical neglect there is an “ongoing systemic problem.” Advocates are recommending the Department of Homeland Security Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to open an investigation of the medical neglect and living conditions at Rensselaer. Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio for Documented.
In other local immigration news…
Hudson County Officials Move to End Contract With ICE
📍 Documented Original
Hudson County officially informed Immigration and Customs Enforcement that it wouldn’t house any immigrant detainees as of Nov. 1, 2021, according to county spokesman James Kennelly. County legislators and officials said this spring they would be open to terminating the country’s ICE contract, but the public hadn’t heard much from county officials since then. Activists have been fighting to end Hudson County’s ICE contract for years. In 2018, Hudson County Freeholders approved a settlement to terminate the contract by December 2020. But in November 2020, they reversed course and the Hudson County board of commissioners voted to extend the ICE contract for 10 years. Read more at Documented.
Event
Documented and The Intercept Present: How 9/11 Changed Our Immigration System
📍 Documented Event
The September 11 attacks led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as crackdowns on Muslims living throughout New York City. Since the agencies’ creation, ICE raids have become common. Documented and The Intercept will examine the legacy of the 9/11 attacks on immigration through a conversation with Azmat Zahra, an award-winning investigative journalist and director of Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism at Columbia University, along with four experts on national security and immigration.
The panelists include:
Mohammad Razvi– Executive director and founder of the Council of People’s Organization
Murtaza Hussain– Intercept reporter who focuses on national security and foreign policy
Asad Dandia– Co-founder of Muslims Giving Back and a plaintiff in Raza v. City of New York
Naz Ahmad– Staff attorney with the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility Project
Register here for the free Zoom event today at 3 p.m.
Documented’s Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio Discusses Tax Preparers Taking Advantage of NY Immigrants
Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio, a Report for America corps member covering immigration enforcement for Documented, appeared on Univision Nueva York to discuss her article with Documented’s Rommel Ojeda. Their investigation revealed how tax preparers are taking advantage of the Excluded Worker’s Fund by charging New York immigrants hundreds of dollars for help with an application that could be filled out for free. Accountants and notaries are charging between $100 to $600 for assistance. In her interview, McDonnell Nieto del Rio reminded immigrants that it’s not necessary to pay for help and that there are several organizations offering help for free. Watch the full interview in Spanish here. Deanna Garcia for Documented.
Read Documented’s guide for how to apply for the Excluded Worker’s Fund here. The Office of Public Advocate for the City of New York will host “Excluded Worker’s Fund Webinar Part 1” to provide resources and instructions to immigrants on applying for the fund. Register here for the free event on Thursday, September 16 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
