New York Senator Charles E. Schumer has proposed the creation of a mandatory national biometric worker identification card for all workers in the United States as part of his plan for comprehensive immigration reform. How would the system work?

Voices from Varick analyzes one year of grievances filed by immigration detainees housed in the Varick Federal Detention Facility. It documents detainee stories of inadequate medical care and mistreatment by the facility’s staff. It adds to the growing chorus of voices that have concluded that the federal government has failed in its responsibilities to provide adequate care to detainees housed in immigration facilities.

Many educators, students, and parents have reported that United States Military recruiters are using heavy-handed tactics to harass students, violate their privacy rights, and target poor students and students of color in schools. To help prevent these violations, students must opt out of both the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) recruiter access provision and the Joint Advertising Market Research and Studies program (JAMRS) database.

We all recognize the need for effective law enforcement, but we should also understand our own rights and responsibilities — especially in our interactions with the police.

Over the past 13 years, we have witnessed a series of attacks on the basic rights and freedoms of America’s immigrants. Beginning with the Clinton administration’s support for two far-reaching and punitive immigration reform bills in 1996, and continuing with the Bush administration’s overzealous response to the Sept. 11 attacks, immigrants in the United States have faced assaults on their liberty, dignity and equality.

Americans across the political spectrum agree that our nation’s immigration system is broken. Up to one million undocumented immigrants in New York State are trapped in a system that makes it almost impossible to obtain lawful status, even if they have lived here since they were children, have paid their taxes, or have children who are American citizens.

If you are 17 or younger, you have the right to get sexual health services on your own in New York.

Adolescents, more than members of any other age group, often do not get the health care they need. According to the American Medical Association, a major reason for this is that adolescents fear that health care providers will disclose confidential information about sensitive issues to their parents or guardians. In fact, the law allows teenagers to obtain medical treatment—including “sensitive” health care, such as reproductive health care—without their parents’ involvement or even knowledge in a variety of situations.

This is a fact sheet that dispells many of the myths about immigrants and their impact on New York. Immigrants are a crucial part of our state's fabric and immigration has a positive impact on our economy. Creating a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants will make New York’s communities safer.