Advancing Universal Representation
A Toolkit for Advocates, Organizers, Legal Service Providers, and Policymakers
(Para Español: Haga clic aquí.) In immigration court, there is no legal right to a public defender for an immigrant who can’t afford a lawyer, even though deportation often threatens one’s life and freedom. That’s why now more than ever, communities across America support universal representation—a public defender system for immigrants facing deportation. We’re all taught to believe that everyone gets their fair day in court. Everyone should mean everyone.
A Toolkit for Advocates, Organizers, Legal Service Providers, and Policymakers
It’s not just a training problem. Indiscriminate traffic stops are dangerous and unnecessary—no matter who conducts them.
A decade ago, the killings of Sandra Bland and Philando Castile forced people in the United States to reckon with the harms of traffic stops—especially for people of color. In the years since, many jurisdictions have become safer by curbing the use of traffic stops as a law enforcement tool. But in much of the country, the harms have persisted. Now ...
The federal SHIELD Act and New York’s BUILD Act would strengthen the immigration legal services workforce and help ensure people receive their fair day in court.
The family of five showed up in immigration court, just as directed. After fleeing danger in Ecuador, they had applied for asylum, a form of protection that allows people to remain in the United States if they meet certain legal requirements including being subject to persecution in their country of origin. Their legal representative, Constanza Ben ...