Numerous topics that the NYCLU works on are implicated in the Public Protection and General Government budget, including immigration, policing, criminal legal system reform, First Amendment rights, privacy, and surveillance issues. This testimony asks the legislature to (1) ensure that there are robust, comprehensive, and sustainable measures in place to protect immigrant New Yorkers, (2) provide meaningful mechanisms for accountability when law enforcement violates constitutional rights, (3) reject any attempts to restrict First Amendment rights through the establishment of speech-free buffer zones, (4) adopt measures to improve conditions in carceral facilities and reduce the number of people funneled into the criminal legal system, and (5) advance measures that protect the privacy of New Yorkers and guard against surveillance.
