Supporting Immigrants
The image of America as a nation of immigrants has never been more true to life. Forty-two million foreign-born people live in the United States; a new immigrant arrives every 28 seconds. Unlike previous generations, they’re moving beyond traditional gateway cities to make homes in large and small communities throughout the country, some of which were virtually untouched by immigration until recently.
With our partners in government, we’re working to ensure that justice, in the form of fundamental legal protections and services, is available to them. That involves building trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement agencies and overcoming language barriers, so that the motto “protect and serve” genuinely applies to everyone. We’re also working to understand and meet the needs of the growing number of vulnerable children who enter the United States alone, and giving people facing deportation—many who have lived here for years—a fair shot in immigration court.
Issues
Spotlights
Featured
The New York Immigrant Family Unity Project
Universal Representation for Detained Immigrants Facing Deportation in Upstate New York
In recent years, threats of arrest and detention of immigrants have soared, families have been systematically separated, and noncitizens are more vulnerable than ever to deportation. Yet immigrants facing deportation do not have the right to a public defender if they cannot afford a lawyer. The New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) is ...
Series: Covid-19
Detention May Become Death Sentence for Vulnerable Detainees
Immediate action is needed to prevent the spread of this disease among other people in detention who cannot protect themselves. Even under normal circumstances, imprisoning immigrants who are in deportation proceedings is cruel. People—including those who may have legal standing to remain in the United States—languish for weeks, months, or years. ...
Blog Post
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Erica Bryant
SAFE Network
Local Leaders Keeping Families Together and Communities Safe
Related Work
Facing Deportation: My Story About the Promise of Having a Lawyer in Immigration Court
My story is proof that programs like the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP) matter, because people like me need legal representation when fighting deportation. Though I was born in Jamaica, the United States has been my home for most of my life. I arrived in the United States 30 years ago as a teenager with a green card. I came to thi ...
Announcing New Grants for Community Groups Working Toward Universal Representation for Immigrants
Vera’s Safety and Fairness for Everyone (SAFE) Network last week announced an inaugural request for proposals for community-based organizations in SAFE jurisdictions to further elevate and increase capacity for such grassroots organizing and advocacy for universal representation programs. Immigrants remain under unprecedented attacks by our federal ...
Blog Post
Melissa Garlick
Taking the Pulse
Public Support for Government-Funded Attorneys in Immigration Court
Although general attitudes towards immigration are commonly researched, less is known about public opinion toward government-funded attorneys in immigration court. To explore public opinion on this issue, Vera is partnering with the survey firm Lucid to conduct public opinion polls about government-funded counsel in several communities across the U ...
Series: Target 2020
The Shocking Lack of Due Process for Immigrants
Not only is a lack of representation inhumane for immigrants, it also contributes to backlogs in immigration courts—where more than one million cases are pending nationwide. For Mariana and so many others, expanding legal representation for those facing detention and deportation has become a critical last line of defense for our immigrant communiti ...
Blog Post
Krystin Roehl
Logan Schmidt
Annual Report 2019
A Vision for Change
Due Process for All
Evidence from Year 2 of the SAFE Network
The SAFE (Safety and Fairness for Everyone) Network has grown to a total of 18 jurisdictions in 11 states. Network members have committed public taxpayer dollars toward legal representation for immigrants in their communities facing deportation. During its first two years, the SAFE Network has represented 744 clients with deep roots in the United S ...
Everyone Means Everyone
Supporting universal representation for immigrants facing deportation
(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 depor ...
Todos quiere decir todos
Apoyando la representación universal para inmigrantes que enfrentan la deportación.
(For English, click here.) En la corte de inmigración, no existe el derecho legal a un defensor público para un inmigrante quien no tenga dinero suficiente para contratar un abogado, aunque en muchos casos la deportación pone la libertad y la vida de une en riesgo. Por eso, ahora más que nunca, comunidades a través de los Estados Unidos apoyan lo q ...
Reimagining Justice
The Next 25 Years
Marking the 25th anniversary of the federal 1994 Crime Bill, this video offers a consideration of the visionary work, big ideas, and fundamental values that can guide the next 25 years of justice policy.
A Vision for Change
Vera's Insha Rahman and Kica Matos discuss their work and collaboration to ensure equal justice for all
5. As a veteran Veran, Insha, what have you done in the past four years here that you're most proud of? I'll start by answering more broadly what I'm most proud of as a Veran, and that is my colleagues. People are what makes Vera the organization it is. Given her humility, I know my saying this will make Kica cringe a little, but I've known of her ...
Blog Post
Vera Staff
The Human Impact of Universal Representation
Stories based on interviews with clients and their families
Embracing Human Dignity
Gala 2019 event video
Vera Institute of Justice's 13th Annual Gala event video, featuring Restoring Promise, SAFE Network, and College in Prison initiatives.