Budget Continues Investments in Immigration Services

"ALBANY — New York's recently enacted state budget will continue funding investments in programs and services for immigrants, including support for Capital Region organizations.

In back-to-back years the state has allocated $10 million for the Liberty Defense Project, which is a public-private partnership created in 2017 to provide legal services for deportation defense and to assist in public-awareness campaigns. Those efforts are expanding through a partnership with Catholic Charities to grow a network of pro-bono attorneys specializing in legal aid for immigrants.
The potential for a statewide pro bono network is welcome news to the Legal Project, which has served the Capital Region's immigrant community since 1995 and utilizes volunteer attorneys to augment the work and expertise of its staff attorneys. During the last 15 months, with funding from the Liberty Defense Project, Legal Project Executive Director Lisa Frisch said they have represented 186 clients and provided 111 consultations - about half of those clients were undocumented immigrants..."

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