Who we are

Vera’s Advancing Universal Representation initiative is driving a national movement for “universal representation,” a public defender system for people in immigration court. Our goal is to establish a right to representation for all immigrants facing deportation.

With immigrant communities under acute threat in the face of an overtly anti-immigrant administration, the need for legal defense for immigrants is more urgent than ever. Vera’s work builds on two decades of experience pioneering universal representation programs at all levels of government.

In 2017, Vera launched the SAFE (Safety & Fairness for Everyone) Network to accelerate the expansion of universal representation programs across the country. Since then, Vera’s SAFE Network has partnered with local and state governments, legal service providers, and advocates as part of a growing number of jurisdictions funding deportation defense. SAFE paves the way for federal action, highlights the power and influence of local leadership, demonstrates the positive impact of a policy solution that supports a functional and fair immigration system, and provides a concrete example of how leaders can support their immigrant neighbors while promoting stable communities and a prosperous economy.

In 2022, Vera and the National Partnership for New Americans launched the Fairness to Freedom campaign to push for legislation that establishes a universal right to federally funded legal representation for anyone facing deportation who cannot afford it.

By fighting for universal representation, Vera and its partners are keeping families together, disrupting the criminalization and deportation of immigrants and their families, and protecting people from the deplorable conditions of immigration detention. Our work is a key part of building toward the transformation needed to advance an immigration system based on human dignity, due process, and fundamental fairness.

Building a just and fair immigration system where every person matters

Every person facing deportation deserves to be treated with dignity and to have the chance to understand and defend their rights. In our complex immigration legal system, this requires high-quality legal representation, regardless of income, race, national origin, or history with the criminal justice system.

Vera’s Advancing Universal Representation initiative is working toward an immigration system where people are free, united with their families, and safely rooted in their communities. We’re driving a national movement to create a public defender-style system for immigration court—what we call “universal representation.” Our ultimate goal is simple but transformative: to ensure that every person at risk of deportation is free from civil immigration detention and has an attorney.

Driving the movement for universal representation

Everyone—regardless of who they are, where they come from, or how much money they have—deserves to be treated fairly, humanely, and with dignity. Therefore, we believe that every person facing deportation should have an equal opportunity to have high-quality, person-centered legal representation in immigration court, regardless of income, race, national origin, or history with the criminal legal system. We aim to make universal representation a reality.

Expanding access to immigration legal services

We’re creating and expanding programs that publicly fund legal representation for people facing detention and deportation. Through the SAFE (Safety & Fairness for Everyone) Network, launched in 2017, we partner with local and state governments, legal service providers, and advocates across the country. To date, more than 70 jurisdictions have invested in such programs nationwide, many of which are members of the SAFE Network.

These programs are making a real difference. People with legal representation are up to 10.5 times more likely to achieve an outcome that allows them to remain in the United States. The SAFE Network is keeping families together, protecting immigrant rights, and advancing a fairer and more humane immigration system. Together, we’re working to build an immigration system rooted in human dignity, fundamental fairness, and due process.

Millions face deportation without a lawyer

Unlike the criminal justice system, which guarantees the right to defense counsel under the Sixth Amendment, there is no right to appointed counsel for people facing detention and deportation—even though the stakes are just as high.

As a result, most immigrants facing deportation—particularly those in detention—go unrepresented, forced to defend themselves alone against the federal government, where their prospects of successfully representing themselves are extraordinarily slim. The scale of the problem is enormous: as of April 2025, nearly 2.3 million people in deportation proceedings did not have a lawyer. Sixty-three percent of detained immigrants in removal proceedings have no attorney to protect their rights.

Every day, people who have a legal right to remain in the United States are deported simply because they can’t afford an attorney. Providing attorneys for people facing deportation isn’t just fair—it can change the course of someone’s life.

* Immigration Court Legal Representation Dashboard

What is universal representation?

Universal representation—a public defender system for people facing deportation—ensures that everyone has access to an attorney. By making sure that everyone has equal access to due process, universal representation promotes a more equitable system for all. Universal representation is a key part of fighting for broader reforms to remedy the fundamentally cruel and unfair immigration system.

Why do we need universal representation?

Unlike in the criminal legal system, which guarantees the right to defense counsel under the Sixth Amendment, there is no right to appointed counsel for people facing detention and deportation even though the stakes are just as high.

As a result, most immigrants facing deportation—particularly those in detention—go unrepresented, forced to defend themselves alone against the federal government, where their prospects of successfully representing themselves are extraordinarily slim. The scale of the problem is enormous: as of December 2024, 67 percent of the more than 3.7 million people in deportation proceedings did not have a lawyer. Every day, people with a legal right to remain in the United States are deported simply because they could not afford an attorney to help defend that right before a judge.

Universal representation for people in immigration court is achievable

Vera’s Advancing Universal Representation initiative is proving that universal representation for immigrants in deportation proceedings isn’t just a bold idea—it’s a practical, proven, and scalable solution that’s already making a difference in communities nationwide.

Join the movement to ensure that no one faces immigration court alone:

• Support the Fairness to Freedom campaign for federal immigration legal services.
• Learn how your state can support deportation defense: email UREP@vera.org to access our toolkit, The Next Frontier for Universal Representation: State Legislation for Publicly Funded Deportation Defense.

The SAFE Network: A model for universal representation

The SAFE (Safety & Fairness for Everyone) Network is a unique collaboration of government leaders, legal service providers, and community-based advocates all working in partnership with Vera to stand up and grow publicly funded, universal representation programs at the state and local levels.

SAFE has highlighted the power and influence of local leadership. Through universal representation, government and community leaders are standing up for their immigrant neighbors and fighting for investments in communities, paving the way for federal action.

These programs enjoy widespread public support and offer a solution that will ensure that everyone is treated with basic fairness.

(1) Source: "New Deportation Proceedings Filed in Immigration Court." TRAC Immigration. Data through September 2022, accessed October 2022. https://trac.syr.edu/phptools/immigration/ntanew/. These 800,000 cases refer to pending cases, among cases initiated fiscal year 2020 and later.