New York State Family Security Project

More than 4.4 million immigrants live in New York, with more than 1.2 million living outside the five boroughs of New York City.

Forty-five percent of New York’s immigrants, 2 million people, have not yet become naturalized U.S. citizens, and are therefore subject to removal from the country under certain circumstances.

The New York State Family Security Project (NYSFSP) places 13 Fellows and 38 law students across the state of New York to stabilize and protect low-income immigrant families facing legal challenges that stem from potential detention or deportation.

During a one-year term, NYSFSP Fellows serve at legal services organizations where they:

Conduct outreach and education activities in immigrant communities
Screen community members to assess legal needs
Provide direct representation and/or brief services to immigrant families in need of legal assistance
Engage pro bono attorneys to represent immigrants and their family members

Equal Justice Works will also provide immigration law training to Fellows and law students to support implementation and delivery of the NYSFSP program.

NYSFSP is part of a broader state initiative known as the Liberty Defense Project, which was created by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in March 2017. The program is supported by the New York State Commission on National and Community Service, Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, and an anonymous donor.

Applications for this program are not being accepted at this time. You can find a list of organizations currently hosting NYSFSP Fellows below.

Contact [email protected] to learn more.