Democrat Governor Announces $50 Million For Migrant Legal Services

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the state of New York is providing $50 million in legal services for migrants.

“They (immigrants) don’t have the attention, they don’t have the lawyers, and that’s why the state of New York is providing $50 million to cover legal services for people who are finding themselves in this situation,” Hochul said at a press conference with New York City mayoral candidate Brad Lander.

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From the New York Post:

In making the comments, however, Hochul lowballed the figure as the state budget currently includes $64.2 million, not $50 million, for immigration legal aid.

And though the governor seemed to seek praise for the legal funding enacted into the new budget, Lander and his lefty allies have been pushing state officials for a much higher dollar amount.

During a press conference last week, Lander — who was escorting migrants from court hearings when he was detained Tuesday by federal agents at ICE headquarters — called for more than $134 million in additional funding for legal services for immigrants.

The detainment of the city’s chief financial officer sparked an outpouring of support from fellow progressives and prompted Hochul to come to his defense, blasting Lander’s arrest as “bulls–t.”

“New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer. Our heroic ICE law enforcement officers face a 413% increase in assaults against them—it is wrong that politicians seeking higher office undermine law enforcement safety to get a viral moment,” the Department of Homeland Security previously stated.

“No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences,” it added.

“Brad Lander’s arrest today was total bulls***,” Hochul stated.

“When elected officials are being detained without cause, we have to ask: what the h*** is happening to our country? This federal overreach cannot go unchecked. We must meet this moment and protect our rights and values,” she added.

Per City & State New York:

On the funding front, immigrant advocates have called for at least $165 million for immigrant legal services for the past several years. Hochul has never included that amount in her executive budget proposal. Both houses of the state Legislature have included the funds in their one-house budget proposals, but it has never made it into the final spending plan – and this year’s budget was no different.

This year, the state budget included $64.2 million for immigrant legal services assistance, an amount that advocates called “stagnant” compared to last year. The amount of money dedicated to legal services for immigrants has increased from nonexistent to the current amount over the past several years, but this year’s budget did not add more resources after hitting a record high last year. According to a spokesperson for the governor, the $50 million that Hochul announced on Tuesday represented funds already included in the budget passed in early May, rather than new money on top of it. So the money Hochul touted is from a sum that immigrant advocates have already said failed to meet the moment.

The money was also intended to fund a legislative proposal called Access to Representation, a measure that would create the right to an attorney in immigration court. Both the state Senate and Assembly have included the measure in their one-house budget proposals in the past as well, but the governor has never indicated her support for the bill by including it in her agenda or budget pitch. Hochul did not reference the legislation, which lawmakers failed to pass before they finished their work for the year. A spokesperson for Hochul said that she would “review any legislation that passes both houses” when asked whether the governor now supports the measure.



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