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Legal Orientation Program

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The Legal Orientation Program (LOP) was created to inform immigrant detainees about their rights, immigration court, and the detention process. On behalf of the federal government’s Executive Office of Immigration Review, program staff work with nonprofit legal service agencies to provide the program at 27 detention facilities across the country.

Expert

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    Stacey Strongarone
    Director of the Legal Orientation Program, Center on Immigration and Justice

The LOP offers detained people basic information about forms of relief from removal (deportation), how to accelerate the removal process, how to represent themselves in immigration court (proceed pro se), and how to get legal representation. Research shows that program participants move through immigration court more quickly and, therefore, likely spend less time in detention than people who do not have access to legal help. The program offers four levels of service:

  • Group orientations are presentations by legal staff that offer a broad overview of the immigration court process, relief from removal, and ways to expedite removal.
  • Individual orientations are one-on-one meetings that allow participants to ask more detailed questions about the court process and specific forms of relief from removal.
  • Self-help workshops are small group classes that allow people who will represent themselves to prepare and practice with others pursuing similar defenses.
  • Referrals to pro bono (volunteer) attorneys are made for detainees who are unable to represent themselves or whose cases could especially benefit from legal representation.

The program also maintains a library of legal resources to help LOP staff provide their services. These resources are available in several languages, including Arabic, English, French, and Simplified Chinese/Mandarin.

Why We Need This Program
For many people facing deportation, the stakes are high: they may have lived in the United States for a long time, they may be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, and they may have family members who are U.S. citizens. At the same time, those who cannot afford to hire an attorney must either represent themselves or find free legal services to help them navigate complex immigration laws. By educating detainees so they can make more informed decisions, the Legal Orientation Program is making the immigration court and detention systems run more efficiently. The LOP operates at these sites.

For more information about the LOP, contact program director Stacey Strongarone.