by Natasha B. | May 8, 2020 | CMS in the News, Legal Services, News, Tenant Advocacy
As hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers lose their jobs or part of their income due to the pandemic, Catholic Migration Services is assisting tenants who are thinking of going on a “rent strike” – refusing to pay rent. As of May 1st, more than 50 buildings with 1,000 tenants are on rent strike — the largest rent strike in nearly 100 years. These tenants are asking the government of New York State to cancel rent for those who cannot pay, cancel mortgages for small landlords, and cancel utility payments, in order to prevent mass displacement and evictions once New York’s eviction moratorium is lifted. In some cases, tenants may also be demanding that their landlords make urgently needed repairs and maintain their buildings adequately to prevent the spread of the virus.
In a recent article in the Wired, Agustin Pérez, a tenant leader working with Catholic Migration Services shares his experience after recently losing his job due to the COVID-19 pandemic and with two young children and a wife on maternity leave, he is doing everything he can to keep his family healthy and safe.
To learn more about the history and purpose of rent strikes, and what you can do as a tenant, visit
www.rightotcounselnyc.org and see images from the @RTCNYC @HOUSINGFORALLNY
*Catholic Migration Services advises any tenant considering a rent strike to try to speak with an attorney before striking. If you would like help organizing a rent strike in your building, contact Amy Collado at (347) 472-3500, extension 1021. You may obtain free legal advice about going on rent strike by calling Andrew Lehrer at (347) 472-3500, extension 1026.
by Natasha B. | May 2, 2020 | CMS in the News, Immigration, Legal Services, News
On April 29, 2020 Legal Services NYC and Catholic Migration Services as an organizational plaintiff – filed a lawsuit before the Southern District of New York against the Executive Office for Immigration Review, AKA “immigration court” (EOIR) challenging the EOIR’s requirement that all litigants with cases currently pending before it continue to meet previously established filing deadlines even in the face of a global pandemic.
What this means practically is that if a legal worker practicing before the immigration court had a filing due at any time during this COVID-19 pandemic and gubernatorial shelter-in-place, they are still required to meet that deadline or risk running afoul of a court order and more importantly causing potentially irreparable harm to their clients and their case. This case seeks to force the agency to enjoin the enforcement of all immigration court deadlines until 45 days after all shelter in place orders are lifted.
Read the full press release from Legal Services NYC: Legal Services NYC Sues NYC Immigration Courts for Refusing to Postpone Filing Deadlines Amid COVID-19, Putting Countless Lives at Risk
Click here to download the full complaint.
by Natasha B. | Apr 8, 2020 | CMS in the News, News, Workers' Rights
On April 8, 2020, Catholic Migration Services along with co-counsel at the firm of Eisner & Dictor, P.C., filed a case in the Southern District of New York on behalf of 19 home care workers, seeking millions of dollars of hard earned, yet unpaid wages. The workers are current and former employees of Avondale Care Group and were organized by the National Mobilization Against Sweatshops (NMASS), a partner organization that works with, and advocates on behalf of home care workers throughout New York City. For years, our clients logged 24-hour, round-the-clock shifts with Avondale, yet they were only ever paid for a fraction of their time worked.
In this moment of great crisis, where millions have been told to stay home or shelter in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, home care workers continue to put their lives on the line to care for the most vulnerable in our communities. To make matters even worse, they have not been provided the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to safeguard themselves and help slow the spread of disease.
We encourage allies who stand with workers to visit the National Mobilization Against Sweatshops at nmass.org to learn more about NMASS’s home care worker campaign and how you can donate to a fund that will be used to purchase PPEs for home care workers during this crisis. Stay tuned for more updates about our clients’ legal fight for justice.
by Natasha B. | Mar 17, 2020 | CMS in the News, Immigration, More News, News
On Monday, March 16th, in response to the coronavirus outbreak, Legal Services NYC and six other organizations, including Catholic Migration Services sent a letter to the Department of Justice requesting the option to reschedule merits hearings in New York immigration courts upon request in the absence of court closures as well as the option to appear via phone or video for those with easy to resolve cases. Today’s letter also asks for a moratorium on all immigration removal orders where the immigrant is unable to show up for health reasons or concerns. On Friday night, the Department of Justice announced the postponement of NYC “master calendar hearings” (or initial hearings) for those not in custody but did not address the merits hearings that follow. On Sunday, immigration prosecutors, judges and attorneys called for the closure of immigration courts across the country.
Read the letter and full story via Latino Rebels: In Absence of Immigration Court Closures, Letter Asks DOJ for Option to Postpone Merits Hearings and Halt Some Removal Orders in Wake of Coronavirus
by Natasha B. | Dec 18, 2019 | CMS in the News, Immigration, News
Faithful from the Diocese of Brooklyn gather at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph for the Annual Diocesan Migration Day Mass. Photo: The Tablet
Earlier this month Catholic Migration Services celebrated the Annual Diocesan Migration Day Mass celebrating the diversity of the Diocese of Immigrants. Held at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Prospect Heights, the multilingual celebration represented over 30 ethnic ministries. For highlights of the event, please see a list of media coverage below
Media Coverage:
Read the full story in The Tablet: Diocese’s Diversity Represented at Migration Day Mass, December 10, 2019
See Current’s NET TV’s news segment: Diocesan Migration Day Mass Celebrates Diversity in Brooklyn and Queens, December 10, 2019
by Natasha B. | Dec 18, 2019 | Citizenship, CMS in the News, More News, News
Catholic Migration Services recently partnered with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, and Goldman Sachs to host a naturalization clinic where green card holders received free legal services to help them work toward U.S. citizenship. The free workshop was held at LaGuaradia Community College in Long Island City and during the workshop, 36 lawful permanent residents began their journey to U.S. citizenship. Our staff and volunteers were able to help save applicants thousands of dollars on application fees. “Volunteers helped to complete 9 fee waivers, totaling a savings of $6,525. This is an amazing feat, especially given the circumstances!” said Chloe Moore, Naturalization Coordinator with Catholic Migration Services. For highlights of the event, please see a list of media coverage below:
Media Coverage:
Read the full story in El Diario: ¿Por qué es importante aplicar lo antes posible por la ciudadanía?, December 8, 2019
Read the full story in El Diario: Acude a talleres gratis en Nueva York sobre cómo aplicar por “green card” y ciudadanía ante USCIS, December 5, 2019
