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
Research Note
The Trump administration is leveraging a wide range of strategies to carry out its mass deportation agenda. Among those facing deportation within the United States immigration court system, more people are receiving a case outcome requiring them to leave the country under the current administration than under the Biden administration. While this in ...
Evidence from the MIDA Program
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 cri ...