The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, and The Bronx Defenders – New York City’s defender organizations providing free legal representation to detained immigrants through the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP), along with other immigrant advocacy organizations, sent a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) urging the release of detained immigrants.

The request is pursuant to a memorandum issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on January 20, 2021, redefining enforcement, custody, and removal priorities, according to The Bergen Record.

Immigrant clients detained in local ICE jail facilities fall outside of the priorities stated in the memorandum, but ICE has not followed its own guidance to release any detained indviduals pursuant to this memo.