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Immigration Lawyer Censured for Threatening to Report client to ICE

Plus: Immigrant Communities Debate Harsher Bail Laws as Effectiveness is Still Unproven

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 immigration attorney Asel Mukambetova was publicly censured Thursday for threatening to report a former client’s activities to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The unnamed client hired Mukambetova for $8,800 in connection with an immigration removal proceeding, but the client discharged Mukambetova and left a negative review of the lawyer online. Mukambetova allegedly sent a threat after discovering the negative review. He sent the former client an email in Russian, a language they share, in which he threatened a lawsuit and to report the client to ICE. The former client filed a complaint with the Attorney Grievance Committee. The AGC and Mukambetova agreed to a public censure. Bloomberg

In other local immigration news…

Immigrant Communities Debate Harsher Bail Laws as Effectiveness is Still Unproven

📍Documented Original
Earlier this month, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul sent state legislators her 10-point public safety proposal that would tweak bail laws. While the plan faces strong pushback from about 30 New York organizations advocating for immigrant rights, it has received substantial support from influential Chinese civic society groups, whose constituents have been struck by a wave of anti-Asian violence. Supporters from the Chinese community believe the proposal will improve public safety, while immigrant advocacy organizations say Hochul’s proposed changes could ultimately lead to negative immigration consequences, including deportation, for many individuals. The proposed plan would widen which crimes could be subject to arrest or eligible for bail. Under the plan, individuals who commit hate crimes would no longer be given desk appearance tickets; they would only be eligible for arrest. Continue reading on Documented

ICYMI: An Outdated System is Keeping Street Vendors From Getting Permits

📍Documented Original
Peréz has spent nearly 25 years trying to get a food vendor permit, which is required to legally sell food from a cart on the streets of New York City. She said the police have fined her multiple times in the past for not having a permit.”The [authorities] know that the permits are not available, so why do they keep targeting us?” she said. Peréz has a mobile food vending license, which allows her to prepare and serve food, but she has not been able to obtain a vending permit. Permits were severely limited until last year, when the New York City Council passed legislation to add 4,000 supervisory licenses — permits attached to a person rather than a cart — over the next decade, starting in July of this year. Read more on Documented. 

Editor’s note: The link to this article was broken in Wednesday’s Early Arrival. It has now been resolved for readers to access. 

New Yorkers Can Still Apply for Hurricane Ida Relief

📍Documented Original
For the past few weeks, immigrant New Yorkers have reached out to Documented via our WhatsApp community asking for information on financial assistance. Some mentioned they were unaware the Hurricane Ida relief program was still open. Undocumented New Yorkers who were affected by Hurricane Ida last fall can still submit their applications for assistance until April 29th. One we spoke to sought assistance from a nurse at a local clinic but was told she did not qualify because of her immigration status, which was incorrect. The $27 million Hurricane Ida relief fund was allocated specifically for individuals who were excluded from receiving FEMA aid, after the hurricane devastated the homes of hundreds of New Yorkers, including basement apartments primarily rented by immigrant families. Continue reading on Documented

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