New Podcast Episode, Lawmakers Back Refugees, Arbor Day Celebration
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
New Podcast Episode
This week on Local Matters Westchester we’re joined by Karin Anderson Ponzer, Director of Legal Services at Neighbors Link Community Law Practice, for a timely conversation about rights, policy shifts, and how fearful local immigrants can navigate the system and find support.
If you’re short on time and want to jump to a key moment in the almost 55-minute interview, head to the 7-minute mark. That’s about when Anderson Ponzer discussed and advocated for pending state legislation aimed at addressing the serious challenge many face in finding legal representation during immigration/deportation proceedings.
She said the proposed legislative solutions matter deeply because “it’s really about basic fairness.”
“It’s the bedrock of American values and our system of government based on the Constitution,” Anderson Ponzer told us. “Before I can be imprisoned, before my property can be taken from me or me or my family be torn away from me, I should have a right to a hearing. I should have my day in court. That’s a famous phrase we all know.”
But the problem is that unlike in criminal proceedings, in immigration matters, people don’t have access to a lawyer unless they can pay for one themselves.
“And the Access to Representation Act would enact in state law the right to a lawyer for people in immigration proceedings,” Anderson Ponzer explained, noting how “that would make it possible for many more people to be able to have a lawyer and defend their case in court before they face deportation.”
Thanks, as always, to Genesis/Saw Mill Club for the generous support of our audio project.
🎧 Listen to the podcast conversation right HERE.
Lawmakers Back Refugees
As chance would have it, Anderson Ponzer was also among those featured at an important press conference in Ossining yesterday.
Organized by Open Arms for Refugees, the presser brought together local officials, faith leaders, and advocates calling for decency, dignity, and due process in immigration policy.
As noted in our news article on the topic yesterday, a recent letter from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has caused significant local concern.
The letter, which was sent to more than 900,000 people – including many with legal protections – told recipients they must leave the U.S. within seven days or face penalties.
Two local people within the Open Arms for Refugees community received the letter.
Anderson Ponzer described the message as “unprecedented,” “confusing,” and “deeply unprofessional.”
While not in attendance yesterday, Westchester Congressmen Mike Lawler and George Latimer issued statements condemning the DHS communication and expressing support for local refugee communities.
Lawler, a Republican representing District 17, called the letter “alarming” and said it “undermines trust and stability for vulnerable communities.” In the prepared comments, read at the press event by Jmel Wilson of Neighbors for Refugees, he stated his commitment to ensuring asylum seekers are treated “with fairness and respect under the law.”
Latimer, a District 16 Democrat, expressed support for local resettlement organizations in his prepared remarks.
“As time passes,” Latimer said, “we risk forgetting the sacrifices made in far-away lands for the defense of our nation – not just by our fellow Americans, but also by those who aided and assisted us despite great physical risk to themselves and their families.”
Watch yesterday’s press conference here.
Arbor Day Celebration
Looking for a lighter, feel-good moment this week?
The White Plains Beautification Foundation is holding its annual Arbor Day Celebration tomorrow, Friday, April 25 at 10 a.m. at the Mamaroneck Avenue School in White Plains.
This year’s event will feature the planting of an Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) in memory of Ruth Manecke – a zoologist, wildlife rehabilitator, and longtime Lead Zoologist on the Captain Kangaroo TV show. Manecke provided animals for the program throughout its 30-year run and authored A Zoo Comes to You.
The event is free and open to the public.
Best,
Adam Stone
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.