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NEW YORK, NY – A new three-year study from the Vera Institute of Justice found that legal representation dramatically improves outcomes for detained immigrants facing deportation. Analyzing the impact of the Midwest Immigrant Defenders Alliance (MIDA)—a universal representation program that provides legal counsel for people facing deportation before the Chicago Immigration Court who cannot afford an attorney—the study shows that providing access to such programs prevents wrongful deportation, allowing far more people to successfully defend their right to relief in immigration court and remain in the United States.

The findings affirm that across presidential administrations and amid many changes to the immigration court system, legal representation is a solution that promotes fairness for people facing detention and deportation, safety and stability for communities, and due process in court proceedings.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Representation prevents wrongful deportations: On average, being represented by a MIDA attorney increased a person’s likelihood of being granted relief by 366 percent relative to someone who was not represented by MIDA. Put another way, having a MIDA attorney made clients 4.7 times more likely than nonclients to be granted relief and therefore to receive full protection from removal.
• Representation helps secure freedom: On average, being represented by a MIDA attorney increased a person’s likelihood of being released from detention on bond set by an immigration judge by 46 percent compared to someone who was not represented by MIDA.
• Representation is an enduring solution: Vera’s study of MIDA, spanning the Biden administration and the start of the second Trump administration, found that people with representation in immigration court benefit across different presidential administrations and amid immigration policy shifts.
• Representation supports stable communities: Providing access to the MIDA program results in 22 percent more people receiving a case outcome that allows them to remain in the United States, compared to if the program weren’t available.

Vera’s study builds upon prior research—which has demonstrated the benefits associated with having legal counsel—by presenting the first randomized study of a legal representation program’s impact. Vera examined data from more than 3,000 immigration court cases between March 2022 and May 2025. The MIDA clients were from 33 countries and spoke at least 18 different primary languages. The majority (68 percent) were employed before they were detained and worked across a wide range of industries, including construction, food service, and manufacturing. Among those who were employed and reported having a family, 76 percent were the primary breadwinner for their household. Nearly half of those who reported family information lived with children under the age of 18 at the time they were detained. The majority of these children (79 percent) were U.S. citizens.

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The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal justice and immigration systems until they’re fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. We develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn’t determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. Vera’s headquarters is in Brooklyn, New York, with offices in Washington, DC, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit vera.org.

The Midwest Immigrant Defenders Alliance (MIDA) provides free, high-quality legal services to detained immigrants, with the goal of reducing deportation and building capacity for detained removal defense across the region. MIDA was formed in 2022 by four organizations working towards universal representation of detained immigrants facing deportation before the Chicago Immigration Court: National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), The Resurrection Project (TRP), The Immigration Project (TIP), and the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender (CCPD). Since then, MIDA has expanded to seven member organizations, comprising a total of 40 legal advocates, and now serves Illinois residents regardless of where they are detained.