August 3, 2012 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) welcomes and applauds the news that President Barack Obama has nominated Pamela K. Chen to serve as a federal district court judge in the Eastern District of New York. Click here to read the full press release.
DA VANCE ANNOUNCES GUILTY PLEA OF NEPALESE WOMAN WHO DEFRAUDED FELLOW IMMIGRANTS
DA VANCE ANNOUNCES GUILTY PLEA OF NEPALESE WOMAN WHO DEFRAUDED FELLOW IMMIGRANTS
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., announced the guilty plea of HIT SHRESTHA, 44, a Nepalese national, for systematically defrauding other Nepalese nationals of thousands of dollars. The defendant pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree for falsely promising her victims that she would arrange for their family members from Nepal to immigrate to the United States, and for charging her victims large fees for the promised service.
Congratulations to the NY County DA’s Immigrant Affairs Program and its co-director Rosemary Yu for this victory. ADA Yu is a member of AABANY and its Prosecutors’ Committee, which she co-founded.
Read the rest of the press release here
AALDEF Announces Free Legal Clinics for Undocumented Youth on Obama’s New Immigration Policy
AALDEF Announces Free Legal Clinics for Undocumented Youth on Obama’s New Immigration Policy
July 10, 2012 – On June 15, 2012, the Obama administration announced that it would grant “deferred action” status to undocumented youth who qualify for administrative relief. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) will hold a series of legal clinics to provide free legal advice and representation to young people who qualify under this directive. These clinics will help to support the work of AALDEF’s undocumented Asian American youth group.
The first legal clinic will be at AALDEF’s office on Thursday, July 12, 2012 from 3pm – 7pm. Additional clinics will be scheduled in upcoming weeks.
“This new directive is a good first step,” said Bethany Li, staff attorney at AALDEF. “But for this policy to make any difference, undocumented Asian American youth need to understand its effect and continue to be at the forefront in asserting their rights. These legal clinics combined with the youth group will help to push the discussion around our immigration policy forward.”
AALDEF is also providing resources for undocumented youth on its website, including an in-depth set of FAQs on deferred action eligibility, which explains who qualifies for deferred action, and how this policy affects removal proceedings and encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
AALDEF is seeking pro bono assistance to staff our free legal clinics for undocumented youth. For more information, please contact staff attorney Bethany Li at 212 966-5932 ext 213 or [email protected].
The legal clinics are only open to youth who potentially qualify for deferred action status and are seeking legal advice. They are not open to the press.
Press Release: Joint Minority Bar Judicial Screening Panel
Press Release: Joint Minority Bar Judicial Screening Panel
Recently, AABANY, together with representatives from the Association of Black Women Attorneys, Black Bar Association of Bronx County, Dominican Bar Association, Metropolitan Black Bar Association, the Puerto Rican Bar Association, and the South Asian Bar Association of New York, interviewed judicial candidates for Civil Court and Supreme Court in Kings County and New York County and issued ratings for each candidate that appeared before the panel. The report of the qualification ratings appears in a September 9, 2011, press release, the text of which is contained in the link in the title. AABANY was privileged to serve with the other minority bar associations to carry out the important work of this screening panel.