NYPD must recognize immigrants rights
Title
NYPD must recognize immigrants rights
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The Vienna Convention requires authorities tell foreign government representives when their citizens are taken into custody. But law enforcement officials at the state and local levels in New York, New Jersey and across the country routinely ignore this right.
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Its a right, which is enshrined in the Vienna Convention that governs relations between states, and its a right, which the United States asserts in every member state of the United Nations where its citizens live, work or visit.
Yet, its one that police officers and other law enforcement officials at the state and local levels in New York, New Jersey and other states across the country routinely ignore.
That right: the obligation of the authorities to tell representatives of foreign governments that their citizens are being held in custody.
In terms of immediate notification, people have the right if they are citizens of a foreign country, are temporary residents or illegal residents to seek the advice of their consular authorities, to make a call to their consulates to indicate their condition, explained a Caribbean diplomat in Washington.
The problem is, though, that police officers in New York, for example, just dont tell people about their rights.
Caribbean consular officials in New York, from Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Antigua and the Bahamas, to Belize, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Kitts-Nevis have been pointing out this problem to criminal justice authorities for years, but without any positive results.
Now, Brooklyn District Attorney, Charles Hynes, has indicated he plans to do something about it.
We want (police) officers to be aware of the right of people who are citizens of other nations that if they arrest them, the people have the right and they know that they have the right to contact their embassy for legal advice, said Lance Ogiste, an executive assistant district attorney in Brooklyn.
The DAs office intends to use training sessions of cops to get the word out. Thats good. Lets hope that prosecutors in other boroughs, especially Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens do the same thing.
Just as importantly, the police brass must also ensure that officers take the next step and observe the important rights of immigrants.
Yet, its one that police officers and other law enforcement officials at the state and local levels in New York, New Jersey and other states across the country routinely ignore.
That right: the obligation of the authorities to tell representatives of foreign governments that their citizens are being held in custody.
In terms of immediate notification, people have the right if they are citizens of a foreign country, are temporary residents or illegal residents to seek the advice of their consular authorities, to make a call to their consulates to indicate their condition, explained a Caribbean diplomat in Washington.
The problem is, though, that police officers in New York, for example, just dont tell people about their rights.
Caribbean consular officials in New York, from Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Antigua and the Bahamas, to Belize, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Kitts-Nevis have been pointing out this problem to criminal justice authorities for years, but without any positive results.
Now, Brooklyn District Attorney, Charles Hynes, has indicated he plans to do something about it.
We want (police) officers to be aware of the right of people who are citizens of other nations that if they arrest them, the people have the right and they know that they have the right to contact their embassy for legal advice, said Lance Ogiste, an executive assistant district attorney in Brooklyn.
The DAs office intends to use training sessions of cops to get the word out. Thats good. Lets hope that prosecutors in other boroughs, especially Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens do the same thing.
Just as importantly, the police brass must also ensure that officers take the next step and observe the important rights of immigrants.
Vtmbh article date
2002-07-23
Vtmbh article edition
28
Vtmbh article hit count
89
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1
Vtmbh article original language
English
Vtmbh article publication
New York Carib News
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edits
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Vtmbh article title
NYPD must recognize immigrants rights
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Source
born-digital
Media Type
article
Original Name
The Vienna Convention requires authorities tell foreign government representives when their citizens
Created by Author
yes
Described by Author
no
Date Entered
2002-07-23
Collection
Citation
“NYPD must recognize immigrants rights,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed October 1, 2026, https://911.dev.chnm.gmu.edu/items/1456/.