The widespread criminalization of a wide range of activities through NYPD’s broken windows or quality-of-life policing practices has steadily driven up rates of arrests for violations and misdemeanors in New York City since the 1980s. Because the immigration system is extremely unforgiving, for non-citizens even a violation or misdemeanor can lead to detention and deportation.
To help defend against these consequences and protect civil and human rights against discriminatory and aggressive policing practices, IDP supports efforts to minimize the number of people entering the criminal legal system—including supporting pre-arrest drug or mental health diversion programs and providing Know-Your-Rights trainings to communities.
IDP was part of the coalition that worked on the IDNYC, a municipal identity card program for New Yorkers. IDP’s role in this coalition was to maximize protections for immigrant New Yorkers who are vulnerable to deportation in the program — including pushing for the NYPD to not arrest immigrants who have ICE administrative warrants and to maximize privacy protections for New Yorkers whose documents have been retained as part of the application for the IDNYC.
IDP has partnered with the NYU Law School Immigrants’ Rights Clinic to advocate against the disproportionate, unjust impact non-criminal offenses – often addressed in Summons Court – can have in barring eligible young New Yorkers from relief under the federal government’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.