Exacerbating family separation through deportation, incarceration of youth and adults, and forced removal under the guise of care makes children less safe. www.commondreams.org/opinion/dc-f...

NYC is failing to provide basic education services to youth in juvenile detention. A vulnerable group of young people are contending with gaps in services and a lack of support, both in and out of detention. bit.ly/47LRLki

Anonymous reporting allows anyone to make a bad faith report with no accountability for the harm they cause. CFR supports Anti-Harassment in Reporting because New York families shouldn’t be harmed by false and malicious calls to the SCR. We urge @GovKathyHochul to sign this bill!

ICYMI: We signed onto a letter calling upon NY state officials to allocate state funds to protect SNAP benefits. bit.ly/3XdSTae. The family policing system conflates poverty with neglect- lets not let food insecurity be the reason a family is separated.

🎉VICTORY!🎉 Today, the New York State Court of Appeals reversed the termination of CFR client Mr. Z's parental rights because the foster agency failed to demonstrate that it had made diligent efforts to reunify Mr. Z and his son before seeking to terminate their relationship.

NYC’s juvenile detention centers are so overcrowded that about 100 young people have been sleeping in classrooms and common areas. The unacceptable exception given to ACS to properly house youth in detention has led to dire consequences for young people bit.ly/4qd3LCs @gothamist.com

Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers could lose their food assistance benefits as soon as November. Ushering in these already cruel and nonsensical cuts earlier than expected this coming winter will have brutal consequences for the most vulnerable bit.ly/47g8Gel

As lawyers, social workers, and parent advocates who work to prevent or minimize family separation, we are alarmed by the Trump Administration’s attacks on immigrant families and their due process rights.

This summer, CFR presented at Poynter’s “Covering Child Welfare: A Journalist’s Guide to Impactful Reporting” seminar. We shared our interdisciplinary team model, myths vs. realities of family court, and key reminders for reporting on impacted families.

Signed by more than a dozen professors with expertise in child welfare, a recent letter to @governor.ny.gov addresses inaccurate data claims in the public discussion regarding the Anti-Harassment in Reporting Bill bit.ly/42BqQEL

"The chilling effects of President Donald Trump’s renewed immigration crackdown is reshaping daily life for thousands of immigrant families, creating a mental health crisis as people avoid accessing critical services that could keep them safe and healthy." bit.ly/4n9l59K

From arrests in homes, workplaces, traffic stops, and even immigration court, ICE is detaining an unprecedented number of people in inhumane conditions, the majority of whom have no access to lawyers. bit.ly/3JUDTL9

Our gov has a legal & moral obligation to safely reunify unaccompanied children in federal foster care with their parents in the US. Instead, this Admin is cynically using these children as bait so that ICE can entrap their desperate parents, ensuring that reunification never happens. bit.ly/4noS8X2

Youth incarceration does not make communities safer. Even brief periods behind bars traumatizes young people, fuels recidivism, and worsens racial injustice. We need investment in care, healing, and opportunity, not punishment. bit.ly/4gcsgeq

📰Via @nytimes.com: "Make the Road filed the lawsuit on behalf of its members, many of whom had been in the country for longer than two years, but were at risk of being swept into expedited removal. Those members were also at risk of never having an opportunity to retrieve their documentation."

We continue to call on @governor.ny.gov to pass the Anti-Harassment in Reporting bill - a common sense protection against harassing and baseless allegations for New York families. bit.ly/45VLYq2

The total immigration court arrests in NYC this year is estimated at 181 — higher than in any other jurisdiction and a dramatic escalation from 11 arrests all of last year. bit.ly/4myGZTk

While ICE officers are generally excluded from entering public schools unless they present a judicial warrant or in rare emergency circumstances, being prepared for the worst is always advisable bit.ly/45QvsaK

This administration is ripping families apart. It’s cruel, inhumane, and wrong.

Should NY ban anonymous child abuse reports? It’s up to Gov. Hochul. https://gothamist.com/news/should-ny-ban-anonymous-child-abuse-reports-its-up-to-gov-hochul

@governor.ny.gov‬ has the opportunity to end anonymous reporting - “a flawed policy that harms thousands of New York families each year.” - we call on Gov. Hochul to pass the Anti-Harassment in Reporting bill bit.ly/3USvie2

Read more about the troubling policies of family separation at bit.ly/47fBiVt @aclu.org

In this environment, CFR clients are reluctant to appear for their hearings to pursue asylum relief. We also see how these arrests have chilled our clients' willingness to appear for their state court appearances. bit.ly/46GV0te

New York State Assembly and Senate passed a bill to end anonymous calls to the state’s child abuse hotline. Now it’s up to @governor.ny.gov to sign it. Despite the false, fear-mongering narrative put forth by OCFS in opposition to the bill, this is a crucial protection for families. bit.ly/4fkV0l2

Hospitals are still drug testing pregnant patients without consent—despite a 2001 SCOTUS ruling banning it when done for law enforcement purposes. These tests often end up in the hands of child welfare agencies, disproportionately targeting Black and Brown families. bit.ly/3HdchQj

With the Trump admin’s aggressive deportation efforts, children are at an increased risk of suffering due to violent family separations. Currently, an array of protection for undocumented children are being rolled back, increasing their vulnerability for separation and detention bit.ly/3IN3aq8

We are encouraged by the continued work to close Rikers. But the goal isn’t just closure, it’s building decarceral communities rooted in care, not punishment. That means ending family policing, shrinking systems of separation and harm, and investing in real support for communities. bit.ly/4lFF0MA

Another tragic death of a detainee on Rikers, marking the 9th reported death from someone in custody this year. Rikers remains dangerous and neglectful. RIP Edwin Quispe. It is time to #CloseRikers now! bit.ly/44LA5E2

Huge win here in NY for incarcerated people and their families! Families and advocates have been fighting for years to get us to this moment. Community advocacy in action!

"Children need love, safety, and a sense of belonging to thrive; however, for far too many children in immigrant families across the country, the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign has deprived them of this basic foundation for well-being." bit.ly/40sgVQV

Yet another report confirming what our clients tell us every day: ACS regularly subjects families to traumatic investigations that lead to lasting issues and pain for Black and Brown families in NYC bit.ly/4eLBTjv

"Now, with no clear path forward, immigrant families are being ordered to live in the shadows, uproot their lives after decades in America, or be deported to countries that remain unsafe” - Murad Awawdeh, @thenyic.bsky.social. bit.ly/3GhmqLw

Read our original investigation (published Nov. 2023):

NEW: The New York State Legislature passed a bill banning anonymous complaints to the state child abuse hotline. The change comes in the wake of a 2023 ProPublica investigation that showed how the hotline had been weaponized by people endlessly calling in baseless allegations against exes or rivals.

We commend NY state lawmakers for passing the Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act on Monday and we call upon @governor.ny.gov‬ to pass this common sense and extremely important bill to prevent traumatic CPS investigations based on harassing and malicious allegations bit.ly/4kVIg6b

A new report from the Bronx Defenders highlights 21 all too common stories of families unduly accused of neglect & abuse. ACS treats Black & Latino families more punitively than white parents & sometimes separates families for weeks without getting required judicial approval bit.ly/4ks1LTM

We commend the city of NYC for taking action in support of Dylan Lopez Contreras, a student who was arrested in a Manhattan courthouse after attending a mandatory, routine immigration hearing. He had no prior charges and is pursuing an asylum case bit.ly/3HqU7dF

It is time to pass the crucial Anti-Harassment in Reporting Bill to protect NY families from anonymous harassment and surveillance. This bill would reduce unsubstantiated complaints, needless investigation & chronic misuse that arise from the deeply problematic current system. bit.ly/3HhhO8h

📢BREAKING! #Right2RemainSilent has passed the NYS Assembly. A big thank you to Majority Leader Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes and the bill's sponsor, Andrew Hevesi! The #R2RS coalition thanks every member who voted in favor of this bill yesterday. This is a huge win for all youth in NY!

Did you know that in NYC, ACS uses an Artificial Intelligence tool to track & surveil families? A review from a specialist team could launch invasive investigations involving home visits & calls to teachers, only because a family fits within a biased predictive algorithm bit.ly/4kqzOv1

📢BREAKING! #Right2RemainSilent passed Assembly Ways and Means Committee and has been reported to Rules! Thank you Chair J. Gary Pretlow for prioritizing this legislation & Committee members for supporting this necessary bill. As always, we thank Assembly Sponsor Andrew Hevesi!

The detention and deportation of Merwil Gutiérrez Flores is not an isolated event- if ICE is allowed on Rikers, more people could be disappeared from the United States, despite not having any criminal record or opportunity to defend themselves in any court of law. bit.ly/4mFXRs3 ‪@thecity.nyc‬

In a system that conflates poverty with neglect, NYC can better address the poverty that exposes families to child welfare involvement. Families need support, not punishment. NYC can reverse its over-spending on the system & under-investment in families. @familypolicynyc.bsky.social‬ bit.ly/3YQQLXl

Here at CFR, we know that children do best with their families. The family policing system conflates poverty with neglect, punishing families who are poor with separation rather than offering the supports that can keep families together safely bit.ly/4k1IGHK

According to a class action lawsuit filed by immigration advocacy groups last week, children are “being separated from their loving families, while the government denies their release, unnecessarily prolonging their detention.” bit.ly/3SE0bla

🗣️ Today, 200+ parents, students & advocates are in Albany calling on NY lawmakers to pass the #SolutionsNotSuspensionsNY bill (A.118/S.134). Our students deserve solutions and support, not punishment. #PassA118S134 #EndSchoolPushout

US Customs & Border Patrol has rescinded four policies aimed to protect vulnerable people in the agency’s custody- including pregnant mothers & infants. These egregious rollbacks will hurt vulnerable detainees & increase their risk of fatality bit.ly/4muB3vh

"ACS is charged with one of society’s most sacred duties: protecting our children. But often, it becomes a pipeline to deeper trauma, rather than stability. In this case, this 15-year-old child was trafficked while living in a city shelter." - Rhonda Jackson for NY Amsterdam News bit.ly/4d8HaRl

ICYMI: Check out the Watching the Numbers 2025 Report from the Center for New York City Affairs, which monitors trends in the family policing system. www.centernyc.org/reports-brie...

The rhetoric encouraging non-citizens to self-deport is grotesque. Pushing immigrant New Yorkers to upend their lives and leave the country in which they sought safety is cruel, deceptive and bad policy @gothamist.com gothamist.com/news/theyre-...