In an exclusive interview with news NY, Rosa Santana, executive co -director of Envision Freedom Fund, strongly condemned the new directive of President Donald Trump that denies millions of immigrants the right to bail audiences. The measure, according to Santana, represents “a chilling climb” in the effort to criminalize migration and “disappear” to entire immigrant communities.
The organization – the largest immigration bonds in the country – has been key in freeing people trapped in detention centers, such as Derlis Snaider Chusin Toaquiza, a high school student in Queens who spent more than a month detained in Texas. In his testimony, Santana stressed that these types of cases reflect the urgency of continuing to fight policies that eliminate bail audiences.
“Mandatory detention” without exit
The new immigration memorandum eliminates eligibility for bonds from people who entered the country without inspection. “This means that millions could be subject to mandatory detention throughout their deportation process – which can last months or years – without even a bail audience,” Santana explained.
The measure will especially affect asylum seekers, families with mixed immigration status and migrants who crossed the border years ago. “It is another way of climbing fear and violating due process,” he denounced.
According to Santana, the implementation of the new memorandum reinforces an alarming trend: the progressive closure of any way towards freedom for migrants, including those with deep community ties or without criminal record. He explained that, in practice, some judges have already begun to interpret the measure so strict that they deny hearings even to people who have lived in the United States for years. This situation warned, not only threatens to consolidate a system that completely margars to entire communities, but also puts lives at risk. He pointed out that the conditions within the detention centers and prisons are extreme; At least 10 deaths have been reported in these places, the most recent in a New York prison.
Faced with this panorama, Santana insisted that the priority should be to free people from detention by any possible way.
A darker panorama
From his experience to the Freedom Fund front, Santana warns that denying bail audiences has devastating consequences: “detained people face inhuman conditions. We know that those who manage to leave have more opportunities to win their cases. This measure puts lives at risk and generates irreparable traumas.”
Envision Freedom has paid more than $ 9.5 million in bonds since 2018, releasing more than 1,106 people. So far from 2025, they have already allocated $ 800,000 to release about 90 people, with bonds that can exceed $ 50,000.
“The work continues. The fight continues.”
Despite the blow that this policy supposes, Santana affirms that the fund continues to operate and adapt. “There are still people who are still eligible, such as those who have exceeded their visa. We work with lawyers to understand the legal scope of the measure and prepare for possible litigation.”
In addition to financial support, Envision Freedom offers emotional accompaniment, delivery of funds for police station and telephone calls, and a network of volunteers to attend cuts or accompany immigrants in their appointments with ICE.
How to receive help and support the cause?
“Community support is fundamental,” Santana emphasized. “With only $ 30 a month a person can be sponsored to cover basic detention needs.” People who need support can communicate with Envision Freedom Fund through their website www.envisionfreedom.org, where there are forms in English and Spanish to request assistance. They can also call the free line at 718-717-2007, available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 5 pm, to receive help with bonds, police station, telephone calls and other basic services. For those who want to donate, there is a donation button directly on the website. In addition, those who wish to support as volunteers can contact them by these same means.
