The spike in immigration enforcement and raids has created a pressing demand for immigration legal resources, yet representation is often limited for those who need it across New York and the United States, according to immigration experts.
As of January, there were 4.5 million immigrants living in New York; 1.8 million were non-citizens and an estimated 670,000 lack documentation. According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association New York Chapter, however, there are around 1,600 immigration lawyers in New York. The accessibility of legal representation for immigrant New Yorkers is severely disproportionate to the demand — an issue that extends nationwide.
New York City, however, has a much higher concentration of immigration lawyers, funding and general aid organizations compared to upstate, where many struggle to get the help they need.
“Not only is there a lack in professionals handling the cases, but it’s also an issue of availability of funds,” said Syracuse immigration lawyer Jose Perez. “It all limits [a client’s] possibilities — not to mention the fact that if they speak a different language, it becomes more complicated.”
Fifty-seven workers were detained in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in Cato in September. Of those 57, Hediberto Ramierz was detained and sent back to Guatemala despite his valid work permit, and pending immigration case. He says he never had an opportunity to consult his lawyer, and others detained are still without representation.
Immigration by the numbers
When President Trump entered office in January, the U.S. immigrant population was at a record high of 53.3 million, accounting for 15.8% of the population. Compared to this year, in 2011, 13% of the population were immigrants. Owing to the series of aggressive immigration initiatives this year, this high declined by 2 million. Immigrants now account for around 15.2% of the population. There are about 20,000 immigration lawyers in the U.S., according to IBIS World’s 2025 industry analysis.
Jessica Maxwell is the executive director of the Workers Center of Central New York, a pro-immigrant worker group, and highlighted the organization’s efforts while stressing the current difficulties within the legal sphere.
“There is a shortage of lawyers,” said Maxwell. It’s hard enough to get representation and then there’s this layer of tension, making it really difficult for people to find representation or communicate and effectively coordinate representation.”
Maxwell and her Syracuse-based team often refer immigrants to at least three lawyers at a time, so they “have a chance.” Immigration law all over the country lacks essential components for such catered representation — and numbers aren’t the only issue.
Language barrier proves to be an issue
Language is one of the largest barriers preventing immigrants from accessing legal help. Maxwell and Perez both say immigration law reflects a pattern of systematic disadvantages for individuals who speak languages other than English.
“There is a lack of attorneys, not only in the area, but in the whole [state] of New York,” said Perez. “We have very limited attorneys that do immigration, and only a handful of attorneys that speak Spanish and do immigration.”
The general morale of immigration attorneys is at an all-time low, for many say the administration’s “violations of human rights” neglect their legal efforts, according to Perez. Representation in immigration courts has seen a general decline. According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a research group associated with Syracuse University, this decline highlights a 10% drop this year in representation for Arabic, Creole and Spanish speaking defendants when comparing the previous four fiscal years to 2025.
Although federal law requires the court to provide those who do not speak English with interpreters, it is not required to provide legal counsel. Success in the courtroom has proven significantly more likely with representation than without. According to the American Immigration Council, immigrants with legal counsel are nearly 11 times more likely to seek relief than those without representation. Yet, 2025 has revealed nationwide that only 38% of all immigration cases were represented.
While the current law calls for attentive legal defense, immigrants face a lack of comprehensive representation and are left to fend for themselves, Perez said.
Tai Shaw, a Vietnamese immigrant-turned-business owner and advocate living in Syracuse, says he sees the struggle daily in his clients — whom he prefers to call “neighbors.” Financial factors coincide with legal limitations. Despite the case matter, legal fees are expensive, a burden that falls hardest on immigrants.
“Financial hardship is not just for my people, but is a question for everybody, especially now with the new administration,” said Shaw, who has lived in Syracuse for 20 years.
Employment and immigration
Poverty rates among immigrants consistently lean higher than their American-born counterparts. Therefore, many immigrants rely on pro bono representation, said Maxwell. Yet, these waitlists are months or years long — an adverse trend in immigration law. Public interest law organizations are a solution for those struggling. They provide legal services for people who would otherwise lack proper representation, focusing on public good rather than profit. Yet in conservative, poorer and less populated or rural regions — areas typically heavily populated with immigrants — these resources are scarce and packed with people, according to studies done by UC Berkely.
“We have a few very excellent legal services organizations here in New York state, but they’re just way over capacity,” said Maxwell. “They are unable to provide services to a lot of people, especially as we see immigration enforcement ramping up.”
Millions of immigrants choose to settle in New York, whether it be in the city’s prominent urban and poorer areas or upstate, which is primarily rural. In New York City alone, one in four New Yorkers live in poverty, according to an annual report from Robin Hood and Columbia University. Nationally, New York City is home to the largest population of immigrants, accounting for 13% of all immigrants. In upstate, Onondaga, Erie, Monroe, Albany and Oneida counties are the top five counties with the highest immigrant populations. Within these areas, Census data found high poverty and limited English proficiency are prevalent, serving as primary factors for receiving legal aid and employment.
Now that the Trump administration is actively prioritizing U.S.-born individuals, especially in the workforce, it has become increasingly difficult for both immigrants here legally and illegally to find jobs and escape poverty, advocates said.
“Our community has an extremely hard time getting jobs right now, and most don’t have decent jobs,” said Shaw. “Factory workers, janitors, cleaning, assembly line. The majority of my people are working at Amazon because of the language barrier. They don’t have to speak. They’re just throwing boxes.”
Employment opportunity is paramount to immigrant poverty rates, further curbing accessibility to legal aid.
At a press conference concerning September’s Cato Nutrition Bar Confectioners Factory raid, acting U.S. Attorney John Sarcone III warned employers across New York not to employ unauthorized workers. He emphasized the unlawful employment of immigrants takes away opportunities from Americans. Sarcone pointed to the “high unemployment” rates in upstate New York, yet county unemployment is either lower or at the state average.
Perez, and many other experts, refuted Sarcone’s — and the Trump administration’s — standpoints on immigrant employment. Perez’s work boils down to the crucial point that immigrants are not taking jobs from Americans but are working the ones U.S.-born workers are not willing to.
“How many Americans are picking foods in the farms around New York?” Perez asked. “You’re not going to see a single person doing that. How many Anglo people are working in the kitchens, doing the dishes, or cleaning services in the hotels? If you spend a night in the hotel, you’re not going to see white people cleaning rooms. They are going to see immigrants.”
Immigrant work is an integral part of the labor market, benefiting an economy all Americans work toward, Perez says, while also providing immigrants the money it takes to stay here and continue their economic contributions.
Maxwell emphasized that employment still doesn’t solve every issue. Immigration enforcement is targeting all immigrants, whether they have legal status or not, making no immigrant, despite compliance with the system, immune, Maxwell said.
“I’ve had at least three people this week who have valid work permits and are working be detained,” said Maxwell. “They’re losing that income right when they need it the most; to rely on legal services when there’s no reason to believe they should have needed a lawyer.”