Criminal Justice

Bronx BP Vanessa Gibson Endorsed for Reelection by Several Bronx Democrats

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Several Bronx Democratic elected officials, including Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez  (S.D. 34), Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), and Council Member Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11), gathered last month at a campaign event in Fordham Manor to endorse incumbent Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson for reelection in the upcoming Democratic primary on June 24.

UPDATE NYC Immigration Judge Reinstates Marble Hill Student Dylan’s Wrongfully Dismissed Asylum Case

By SÍLE MOLONEY
On Friday, June 13, a U.S. immigration judge granted a motion to reconsider the improper dismissal of the asylum case of “Dylan,” a Venezuelan-born, high school student attending English Language Learners and International Support Preparatory Academy (ELLIS) in Marble Hill. As reported, Dylan had been detained by U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials when he reportedly appeared at a Manhattan courthouse for a routine hearing on May 21. For more, on why he was detained, read our previous story including an update from ICE officials. After being moved around the country, he was most recently held in a Pennsylvania detention center.

Yonkers Attorney Charged with Threatening Westchester Judge Day before Minnesota Rep. Shot Dead

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced that a Yonkers man was arrested on Friday, June 13, and charged with aggravated harassment of a judge, a class E felony, for allegedly sending threatening communications to acting state Supreme Court Justice Susan M. Capeci. Threats against public and elected officials are not uncommon and can sometimes have deadly consequences. Across the country, the following day, a congresswoman in Minnesota was shot dead in her home along with her husband.

UPDATE Over 215 Groups Demand Reversal of HALT Law Suspension

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Over 215 organizations have sent a letter dated May 27 to Gov. Kathy Hochul and State Prison Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III, demanding State prisons immediately rescind what the organizations say is the “illegal” suspension of the HALT Solitary Confinement Law and instead fully implement the law.

UPDATE Espaillat, Velázquez Denied Access to Visit ICE Detention Facilities in Lower Manhattan

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Democratic congress members, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Rep. Nydia Velázquez (NY-7), were refused entry to the 10th floor of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan on Sunday, June 8, when they attempted to conduct oversight of the facility amid allegations of “overcrowding, unbearable heat, and people being forced to sleep on bathroom floors.”