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For 20 years, the state police have been quietly building a database of suspected gang members — and they’re feeding it to Donald Trump’s administration.

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The New York State Police maintain a database of more than 5,100 people they’ve designated as members of criminal gangs — and funnel the information into a federal database used by ICE, a @NYSFocus.bsky.social investigation has found.

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A special invitation: New York Focus and @hellgatenyc.com have teamed up to present an evening at the Public Theater with the top Democratic mayoral candidates ahead of the June 24 primary election. Join us on May 15: www.eventbrite.com/e/new-york-f...

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The way the State Police share entries with the federal government makes the information almost immediately available to immigration enforcement authorities. nysfocus.com/2025/04/23/t...

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The NY State Police maintain a database of more than 5,100 people that they’ve designated members of criminal gangs—and funnel the information into a federal database used by ICE, writes @chrisgelardi.bsky.social with @nysfocus.bsky.social. www.thenation.com/article/soci...

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This is a massive story — and revelation — from @chrisgelardi.bsky.social for @nysfocus.bsky.social. "The statewide gang database has been in operation for 20 years, though it has garnered almost no outside attention or scrutiny." nysfocus.com/2025/04/23/t...

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🚨 @nysfocus.bsky.social scoop: The State Police maintain a gang database that gets shared with ICE. It contains over 5,100 names and uses hazy criteria like tattoos, clothing, and social associations to label people as gang members. It hasn't been audited by an outside entity. full story⬇️

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NEW: As Trump’s administration rounds up hundreds of immigrants it claims are gang members, New York state police are quietly feeding him a 5,000 person gang database built on speculative criteria like tattoos and clothing.

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NEW: While Gov. Hochul seeks to boost involuntary commitments, thousands of New Yorkers linger waiting for state-funded mental healthcare — some for as long as two years.

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Moms for Liberty of Wayne County and the Rev. Jacob Marchitell just lost their legal battle to have five books removed from the Clyde-Savannah School District Here’s the decision from the court, issued last week:

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Read the full story: nysfocus.com/2025/04/15/t...

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NEW: While Governor Kathy Hochul pushes an expansion of involuntary commitment in this year's budget, thousands of New Yorkers sit on waitlists for voluntary state-funded mental health programs. In some cases, they wait for as long as two years.

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there's still time to apply to work with us as an immigration reporter - please share!

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The impact of Trump’s tariffs on wider heat pump adoption in NY remains unclear. Heat pump installations reached a high in 2024, but the growth falls short of what officials envisioned in the state’s climate plan.

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A lawsuit filed by the Legal Aid Society reveals that DOCCS is considering pausing solitary confinement law on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and any other day designated by the commissioner.

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🚨We're hiring! New York Focus is hiring an immigration reporter to chronicle the experiences of immigrants throughout the state and investigate the state and local political actors that shape them. Applications are due next Wednesday, April 23. www.reportforamerica.org/newsrooms/ne...

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NEW: The New York state prison system is abusing “emergency” authority to gut solitary confinement reforms indefinitely, a new class action lawsuit filed by the Legal Aid Society alleges. nysfocus.com/2025/04/18/d...

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A draft bill quietly circulating in the state legislature could significantly weaken oversight of nonpublic schools — including yeshivas — by loosening education standards and delaying enforcement deadlines. nysfocus.com/2025/04/10/y...

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Ten prison guards were charged in connection with the fatal beating of Messiah Nantwi, including two charged with murder. Last month, New York Focus tracked down Nantwi's cellmate, who recounted the day’s events.

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The country’s biggest public housing authority is counting on a Chinese company to supply thousands of new energy-saving window heat pumps. nysfocus.com/2025/04/15/t...

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Here are the key findings from the second installment of our investigation into New York’s conviction integrity units. nysfocus.com/2025/04/14/w...

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New York Focus investigates the politicians, lobbyists, and monied interests that drive state policy. But we can’t do it alone. Become a source: nysfocus.com/become-a-sou...

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The son of a top New York judge is at the center of a controversy over an undisclosed romance. Meanwhile, the top state judge, Joseph Zayas, has himself appointed his son's girlfriend and boss to prestigious positions.

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New York Focus investigates the politicians, lobbyists, and monied interests that drive state policy. But we can’t do it alone. Become a source: nysfocus.com/become-a-sou...

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

The son of a top New York judge is at the center of a controversy over an undisclosed romance. Meanwhile, the top state judge, Joseph Zayas, has himself appointed his son's girlfriend and boss to prestigious positions.

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New York’s CIUs were created to fix wrongful convictions. But they rarely name — or hold accountable — the prosecutors who helped cause them. Key findings from our investigation:

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🚨We're hiring! New York Focus is hiring an immigration reporter to chronicle the experiences of immigrants throughout the state and investigate the state and local political actors that shape them. Applications are due next Wednesday, April 23. www.reportforamerica.org/newsrooms/ne...

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments

A few years ago, NYCHA set out to pioneer heat pumps that would let old apartment buildings go all-electric without major retrofits. The effort got off to a strong start but has yet to hit liftoff. Now, Trump‘s China tariffs are throwing another wrench in the spokes nysfocus.com/2025/04/15/t...

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NEW: President Donald Trump's raging trade war with China could stymie New York City’s plans to decarbonize its public housing. NYCHA is counting on a Chinese company to supply thousands of energy-saving window heat pumps.

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🚨 Immigration reporters! I know there are so many of you out there doing incredible work, especially freelance work. Here's an unexpected but killer opportunity for a full-time gig at @nysfocus.bsky.social. We're looking for those who know the beat, how to dig, and how to tell a story.

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What happens when prosecutors help convict innocent people — and their colleagues are tasked with investigating it? We looked at every exoneration tied to New York’s conviction review units. Here’s what we found. @nysfocus.bsky.social nysfocus.com/2025/04/14/w...

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NEW: What happens when prosecutors help convict innocent people — and their colleagues are tasked with investigating it? We looked at every exoneration tied to New York’s conviction review units. Here’s what we found.

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NEW: What happens when prosecutors help convict innocent people — and their colleagues are tasked with investigating it? We looked at every exoneration tied to New York’s conviction review units. Here’s what we found.

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The state capitol has seen a parade of district attorneys this week. They came to offer stories of how New York's 2019 evidence-sharing reform law has made their jobs impossible. The problem: The cases they reference as anecdotes are mostly under seal, thus unverifiable. ...

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No lawmaker will take credit for a proposal that could significantly weaken oversight of nonpublic schools, but its quiet circulation has sparked fierce debate over state control of religious education.

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Following New York Focus’s reporting, the state health department is moving to implement a law meant to boost kidney donations.

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The detention of a mother and three children by ICE has rocked Sackets Harbor, a small town in a county that is almost entirely represented by Republicans across all levels of government and voted for Trump by large margins in 2024. New York Focus visited Sackets Harbor. Here's what we learned:

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New York has a notoriously opaque state budget process. I reached out to two dozen legislators for more details about a draft bill that would weaken state oversight of nonpublic schools -- but got few answers. For @nysfocus.bsky.social: nysfocus.com/2025/04/10/y...

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NEW: A draft bill quietly circulating in the state legislature could significantly weaken oversight of nonpublic schools by loosening education standards and delaying enforcement deadlines. Few details have emerged about who authored the bill.

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NEW: Last night, Trump issued an executive order targeting state climate action. It refers to a New York law meant to make fossil fuel companies pay for climate damage as an "extortion law." One legal expert called it "signaling and saber rattling." nysfocus.com/2025/04/09/d...

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After years of inaction, the NY Dept. of Health is moving forward with a life-saving program to boost kidney donations. It follows our recent reporting on their failure to act: nysfocus.com/2025/04/10/n...

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NEW: A life-saving but long-stalled program to reimburse kidney donors will start within a few months. Following reporting from New York Focus on the agency’s continued failure to follow the law, Department of Health officials committed to a timeline.

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NEW: Trump is going after state climate laws. “There’s no legal basis for what they’re trying to do,” says @michaelgerrard.bsky.social nysfocus.com/2025/04/09/d...

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NEW: Last night, Trump issued an executive order targeting state climate action. It refers to a New York law meant to make fossil fuel companies pay for climate damage as an "extortion law." One legal expert called it "signaling and saber rattling." nysfocus.com/2025/04/09/d...

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NYS Senator Liz Krueger, who sponsored the Climate Superfund Act, reacts to Trump’s order attempting to override the law: “Either the Big Oil Billionaires pay to clean up their mess, or you and I do.... Trump and Musk are really working overtime to make sure you and I pay as much as possible.”

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NEW: Residents of Sackets Harbor, NY were shocked after immigration authorities detained three children and their mother on a dairy farm. The incident highlighted just how much key industries upstate depend on workers with few paths to citizenship.

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Discovery reform is holding up New York’s budget. One case Bronx DA Darcel Clark used to argue for rollbacks didn’t happen the way she said it did.

submitted 16 days ago • 0 comments