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.<\/p>\n
As of January, there were\u00a04.5 million immigrants living in New York;<\/a>\u00a01.8 million were non-citizens and an estimated 670,000 lack documentation. According to the\u00a0American Immigration Lawyers Association New York Chapter,<\/a>\u00a0however, there\u00a0are around 1,600 immigration lawyers in New York. The accessibility of legal representation for immigrant New Yorkers is severely disproportionate to the demand\u00a0\u2014\u00a0an issue that extends nationwide.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNot only is there a lack in professionals handling the cases, but it’s also an issue of availability of funds,\u201d said Syracuse immigration lawyer Jose Perez. \u201cIt all limits [a client\u2019s] possibilities \u2014 not to mention the fact that if they speak a different language, it becomes more complicated.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n 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<\/a>. He says he never had an\u00a0opportunity to consult his lawyer, and others detained are still without representation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Immigration by the numbers<\/p>\n When President Trump entered office in January, the U.S. immigrant population was at a record high of 53.3 million,\u00a0accounting for 15.8% of the population<\/a>.\u00a0Compared to this year,\u00a0<\/a>in 2011, 13% of the population were immigrants.<\/a>\u00a0Owing to the\u00a0series of aggressive immigration initiatives<\/a>\u00a0this year, this high\u00a0declined by 2 million.<\/a>\u00a0Immigrants now account for around 15.2% of the population. There are about 20,000 immigration lawyers in the U.S.,\u00a0according to IBIS World’s 2025 industry analysis.<\/a><\/p>\n Jessica Maxwell is the executive director of the\u00a0Workers Center of Central New York<\/a>, a pro-immigrant worker group, and highlighted the organization’s efforts while stressing the current difficulties within the legal sphere.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a shortage of lawyers,\u201d 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Maxwell and her Syracuse-based team often refer immigrants to at least three lawyers at a time, so they \u201chave a chance.\u201d Immigration law all over the country lacks essential components for such catered representation\u00a0\u2014\u00a0and numbers aren’t the only issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n Language barrier proves to be an issue<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a lack of attorneys, not only in the area, but in the whole [state] of New York,\u201d said Perez. \u201cWe have very limited attorneys that do immigration, and only a handful of attorneys that speak Spanish and do immigration.\u201d<\/p>\n The general morale of immigration attorneys is at an all-time low, for many say the administration\u2019s \u201cviolations 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\u00a010% drop this year in representation for Arabic, Creole and Spanish speaking defendants<\/a>\u00a0when comparing the previous four fiscal years to 2025.<\/p>\n Although\u00a0federal law requires the court to provide those who do not speak English with interpreters,<\/a>\u00a0it is not required to provide legal counsel. Success in the courtroom has\u00a0proven significantly more likely with representation than without.<\/a>\u00a0According to the American Immigration Council, immigrants with legal counsel are nearly\u00a011<\/a>\u00a0times more likely to seek relief than those without representation.\u00a0Yet, 2025 has revealed nationwide that\u00a0only 38% of all immigration cases were represented.<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Tai Shaw, a Vietnamese immigrant-turned-business owner and advocate living in Syracuse, says he sees the struggle daily in his clients\u00a0\u2014\u00a0whom he prefers to call \u201cneighbors.\u201d Financial factors coincide with legal limitations. Despite the case matter, legal fees are expensive, a burden that falls hardest on immigrants.<\/p>\n \u201cFinancial hardship is not just for my people, but is a question\u00a0for everybody, especially now with the new administration,\u201d said Shaw, who has lived in Syracuse for 20 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Employment and immigration<\/p>\n Poverty rates among immigrants consistently lean\u00a0higher than their American-born counterparts.<\/a>\u00a0Therefore, many immigrants rely on pro bono representation, said Maxwell.\u00a0Yet, these waitlists are months or years long \u2014 an adverse trend in immigration law.<\/a>\u00a0Public 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.\u00a0Yet in conservative, poorer and less populated or rural regions<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0areas typically heavily populated with immigrants \u2014 these resources are scarce and packed with people, according to studies done by UC Berkely.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a few very excellent legal services organizations here in New York state, but they’re just way over capacity,\u201d said Maxwell. \u201cThey are unable to provide services to a lot of people, especially as we see immigration enforcement ramping up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Millions of immigrants choose to settle in New York, whether it be in the city\u2019s prominent urban and poorer areas or upstate, which is primarily rural. In New York City alone,\u00a0one in four New Yorkers live in poverty,<\/a>\u00a0according 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,\u00a0Onondaga, Erie, Monroe, Albany and Oneida<\/a>\u00a0counties are the top five counties with the highest immigrant populations. Within these areas, Census data found\u00a0high poverty<\/a>\u00a0and limited English proficiency are prevalent, serving as primary factors for receiving legal aid and employment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now that the Trump administration is actively\u00a0prioritizing U.S.-born individuals, especially in the workforce,<\/a>\u00a0it has become increasingly difficult for both immigrants here legally and illegally to find jobs and escape poverty, advocates said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur community has an extremely hard time getting jobs right now, and most don’t have decent jobs,\u201d said Shaw. \u201cFactory workers, janitors, cleaning, assembly line. The majority\u00a0of my people are working at Amazon because of the language barrier. They don’t have to speak. They’re just throwing boxes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Employment opportunity is paramount to immigrant poverty rates, further curbing accessibility to legal aid.\u00a0<\/p>\n At a press conference concerning September\u2019s\u00a0Cato Nutrition Bar Confectioners Factory raid,<\/a>\u00a0acting U.S. Attorney John Sarcone III\u00a0warned employers across New York not to employ unauthorized workers.<\/a>\u00a0He emphasized the unlawful employment of immigrants takes away opportunities from Americans. Sarcone pointed to the \u201chigh unemployment\u201d rates in upstate New York, yet county unemployment is either lower or at the state average.<\/p>\n Perez, and many other experts, refuted Sarcone’s\u00a0\u00a0\u2014 and the Trump administration\u2019s \u2014 standpoints on immigrant employment. Perez\u2019s 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHow many Americans are picking foods in the farms around New York?\u201d Perez asked. \u201cYou’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.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n