Julie Babayeva, supervising attorney in NYLAG’s LegalHealth Unit, spoke with Gothamist reporter Arya Sundaram about steps that immigrant parents can take today to ensure the safety and designated custody of their children in the event of an immigration-related emergency.
NYLAG—LegalHealth’s Standby Guardianship Project offers instructions in several languages detailing what parents can do to name someone as a temporary guardian for their children in the event of an immigration action, such as an arrest, detention, or deportation.
Parents should consult with an attorney to discuss their needs and can call NYLAG’s Standby Guardianship hotline at 212-659-6188 for more information.
From Gothamist:
“A lot of time people don’t think about safety planning until it’s too late,” said Julie Babayeva, supervising attorney at the New York Legal Assistance Group’s LegalHealth Unit. “ We want to make sure that everyone is considering doing this before there’s a real necessity…when people are actually facing that detention or deportation.”
Parents can officially designate another trusted adult as a “person in parent relation,” allowing that person to make educational and some medical decisions about their children for a limited time period.
Parents may also name a “standby guardian,” who is given temporary authority to care for their children, in case the parent is arrested, detained, or deported. Immigrant adults may also designate an agent under a “power of attorney,” who can access their finances.
To make such designations, Babayeva recommends consulting with an attorney, or calling her organization’s hotline at 212-659-6188.
Read the full story in Gothamist, originally published on August 25, 2025.
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