Letter to EOIR Leadership
On June 6, 2023, we sent a letter joined by 25 organizations and 50 attorneys to David Neal, Director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review at the US Department of Justice, calling on him to ensure the safety and well-being of all who must present themselves to New York City’s immigration courts. This was in direct response to providers and their clients experiencing instances of harassment and abusive behavior by the building’s security guards, which led one of our member organizations - Catholic Charities Community Services - to cancel onsite services for the month of June. The full letter is below.
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David Neal
Director
Executive Office of Immigration Review
5107 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041
Dear Director Neal,
We have recently been made aware that our colleagues at Catholic Charities Community Services in New York City have had to make the difficult decision to suspend some on-site services at New York City’s immigration courts due to the volatile and unsafe conditions there. Specifically, legal representatives working on EOIR-funded access to justice programs for indigent and low-income immigrant New Yorkers facing deportation have repeatedly experienced and witnessed abusive behavior by security guards at the entrance to 26 Federal Plaza, where one of New York’s immigration courts are located. This has included apparently race-based physical harassment and verbal assaults, and sexual advances towards both immigrants compelled to appear in court or for ICE check-ins that day, as well as towards the legal staff themselves. The chaos of the last year at 26 Federal Plaza, which frequently sees people lining up the night before in order to gain access the next day, has only contributed to the volatile environment and made conditions feel even less safe.
As a community of legal service providers, we strongly condemn this behavior and the apparent lack of willingness to address the numerous complaints that have been brought to your office’s attention. No one appearing before a government agency to exercise rights afforded them under law, or to defend those rights on behalf of someone else, should fear for their safety or their well-being. Those who choose to dedicate their careers to improving the administration of justice and to protect the rights of the most vulnerable play an invaluable role in protecting those rights and upholding our common commitment to notions of justice. They should not have to go to work each morning fearing for their safety, or the safety of those they serve.
No one who chooses this line of work takes the decision to suspend services lightly. To the contrary, doing so goes counter to every moral and ethical obligation a legal service provider feels. The fact that our colleagues felt they had no choice but to use this last-resort option shows the severity of the treatment they have endured, and the lack of meaningful responses they have received from those whose support they sought in remedying the situation.
We urge you to address these concerns immediately, and to guarantee a safe setting for all those who have business before New York’s immigration courts, and for those who work there as well.
Sincerely,