Legal Directory
Brooklyn Defender Services - Immigration Practice
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Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS) advises clients about the immigration consequences of criminal charges and helps clients apply for citizenship, green cards, visas for domestic violence or trafficking victims, deferred action, and other immigration benefits. BDS has a robust removal defense practice; we secure immigrant clients’ release from immigration detention and defend them against deportation in immigration court. Since November 2013 BDS has been serving as assigned counsel under the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project, a first-in-the-nation program that provides legal representation for indigent New Yorkers in detained removal proceedings in New York City and New Jersey.
Counties served: | Kings (Brooklyn) |
Detention Facilities Served: | Bergen County Jail (NJ), Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility (NJ), Essex County Correctional Facility (NJ), Hudson County Correctional Facility (NJ), Orange County Correctional Facility (NY) |
Services Provided
Are immigration legal services provided? | Yes |
Areas of immigration legal assistance: | Adjustment of Status, Asylum applications, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Employment authorization, Family-based petitions, Habeas Corpus, Naturalization/Citizenship, Removal hearings, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, T visas, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), U visas, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions |
Types of immigration legal services provided: | Filings with USCIS, Representation at Asylum Interviews (Credible Fear Interviews, Reasonable Fear Interviews), Representation before the Immigration Court, Representation before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), Federal court appeals |
Other areas of legal assistance: | Education, Family & Juvenile, Foreclosure, Housing, Public Benefits |
Non-legal services: | Administrative advocacy (CIS/ICE/CBP), Housing referrals, Legislative advocacy (state or national), Psychological or psychiatric services, Referrals to other services, Social services |
Populations served: | Lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender |
Languages spoken: | Arabic, English, French, Haitian Creole, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Urdu |
Access to a commercial interpreting service or language bank: | Yes |
Nominal fee charged? | No |
Other information: | Detained removal defense cases are picked up through internal referrals or through BDS's role as assigned counsel under the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project and includes representation of New York City residents and residents of Long Island and some upstate New York counties. Other immigration cases are referred internally. From time to time BDS also holds community law clinics and accepts referrals from other community-based organizations. |
Staffing Information
Number of attorneys on staff: | 23 |
Is organization BIA recognized? | Yes |
Number of fully accredited BIA representatives on staff: | 1 |
Number of partially accredited BIA representatives on staff: | 2 |
Number of paralegals/legal workers on staff: | 5 |
Additional Details
Pro Bono opportunities? | Yes |
Network affiliations: | American Immigration Lawyers Association, Detention Watch Network, Immigration Advocates Network, National Immigration Project, New York Immigration Coalition, Defending Immigrants Partnership |
Volunteering
Volunteer Coordinator |
Jessica
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Administrative Information
Contact Person: | |
Executive Director: | |
Types of contact/attempt: | |
Last contact date: | February 5, 2018 |
Administrator comments: | 9/20/12: tickler. 12/2/13: tickler 1/30/15: tickler 6/21/16: tickler alt contact: Sarah Vendzules svendzules@bds.org (718) 254-0700 ext. 192 05 Feb 2018: tickler |
IAN Members? | Yes |