Res. No. 328
Resolution calling upon New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, S7475B/ A7770C, which would increase oversight of the immigration bond industry and curb abusive practices.
By Council Members Hudson, Hanif, Louis, Brewer, Restler, Joseph and Abreu
Whereas, There were more than 21,000 immigrants booked into Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) detention as of June 2022, according to data by Syracuse University; and
Whereas, Immigrant New Yorkers are detained in approximately 76 different detention facilities in New York State; and
Whereas, Some immigrant detainees are bond eligible and can be charged between $1,500 and $10,000 for a bond, according to Documented; and
Whereas, According to Documented, the median bond is $7,500 in New York City; and
Whereas, Many bond companies require immigrant detainees to pay fees greater than $400 to wear an ankle monitor in exchange for a bond; and
Whereas, According to Human Rights First report, the average wait time in New York State immigration courts is at least 2 years; and
Whereas, As a result, detained immigrants sometimes end up paying thousands of dollars for ankle monitor fees alone; and
Whereas, For example, a Virginia-based for-profit bond company, Libre by Nexus, reportedly charged one immigrant detainee $420 a month for an ankle monitor over the course of three years as the detainee waited for his case to proceed; and
Whereas, In 2021, New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the attorneys general of Massachusetts and Virginia, sued Libre by Nexus in federal court, for alleged deceptive and abusive practices; and
Whereas, S7475B, introduced by State Senator Jamaal Bailey, and companion bill, A7770C, introduced by State Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, would impose restrictions on immigration bail businesses and prohibit immigration bond businesses from requiring electronic monitoring as a condition of an immigration bail; and
Whereas, S7475B/A7770C would also establish a cap on immigration bond premiums; and, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, S7475B/ A7770C, which would increase oversight of the immigration bond industry and curb abusive practices.
LS9550
8/16/2022
KMD