The Impact of Legal Representation on Detained Immigrants Facing Deportation Evidence from the MIDA Program
Overview
Every year, millions of immigrants face removal from the United States as their cases go through the immigration court system. However, despite the grave consequences of a removal order, the right to a government-funded attorney for people who cannot afford one does not apply to people in immigration court as it does to people facing charges in criminal court. Consequently, the majority of people in removal proceedings appear before the court without an attorney. The Midwest Immigrant Defenders Alliance (MIDA) is a collaborative deportation defense program that provides legal representation to people in the Chicago immigration court who are detained at the time of the first hearing of their removal proceedings. This report builds upon prior research—which has provided promising evidence of the benefits of universal representation programs—by presenting the first randomized study of a legal representation program.
Key Takeaway
Vera’s analyses show that the MIDA program had significant, positive impacts on clients’ cases and show the degree to which attorneys were the cause of the improved outcomes. The study reveals how universal legal representation programs can promote fairness and uphold due process within a complex immigration system.
Publication Highlights
The randomized nature of MIDA’s intake model means that any positive outcomes observed were not the result of attorneys choosing to work with people who have stronger cases.
The results show people with representation in immigration court benefit across different presidential administrations and amid immigration policy shifts.
MIDA was broadly effective, even across judges of different baseline levels of leniency or strictness.