The cultural divide widens. While President Trump has restricted Muslim visitors and cracked down on Mexican immigration, the state of New York has announced even more protection of their immigrant population. In their 2018 budget, lawmakers granted $4 million to expand the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project, which provides public defenders to immigrants facing deportation who can't afford other counsel.

New York is the first state in the country to create such a rich system of legal services for immigrants. In a tweet today, NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman confirmed the news, saying, "Every New Yorker deserves a fair day in court. For the first time, every immigrant under threat of deportation will be guaranteed theirs."

A study has shown that without legal counsel, only 3% of detained immigrants avoid deportation, according to the Vera Institute of Justice. The assistance of a public defender can improve an immigrant's chance of staying in the United States by as much as 1000%.

"This is a tremendous step toward just and fair results in deportation proceedings, ensuring that no New Yorker will be detained and deported solely because of the inability to hire a lawyer," Oren Root, director of Vera's Center on Immigration and Justice, tells ELLE.com. "Countless families will remain intact because of the [New York State Senate]'s leadership on this critical issue."

This move isn't the first time New York lawmakers have taken a direct swipe at President Trump and his policies. Earlier this week, Attorney General Schneiderman filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for violating federal law over energy efficiency standards. In March, he filed suit against the revised Muslim travel ban. He's also leading a coalition to protect Planned Parenthood from defunding.

Though President Trump has many enemies, Schneiderman might be the most relentless.

Kaitlin Menza Kaitlin Menza is a freelance features writer.

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