San Diego County has approved a plan to provide legal representation for immigrant detainees facing removal proceedings. Due to the lack of legal advice and counsel, tens of thousands of people go unrepresented every year as they struggle to navigate the complex immigration laws on their own.
The Immigrant Rights Legal Defense Program is intended to change that by providing appointed counsel to immigrant detainees, including asylum seekers, immigrant parents, longtime residents, and families of U.S. citizens. Read on to learn more.
The Immigrant Rights Legal Defense Program
The program will start as a one-year pilot project. However, it is expected to eventually become a permanent resource housed in the office of the Public Defender. It will extend to work in a partnership with nonprofit organizations and regional immigrant defense agencies.
The $5 million program will act on multiple fronts to facilitate the immigrant detainees as well as the county in the long run. It will help clear the current backlog in the immigration courts, support the local economy, and save taxpayer dollars in the process.
Norma Chavez-Peterson
Talking about the need and significance of the Immigrant Rights Legal Defense Program, Norma Chavez-Peterson, executive director of the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, said, “Making quality legal representation available to immigrants facing removal proceedings is essential to living up to the fundamental principles of the U.S. Constitution, which establishes a due process and the right to a fair trial.”
Immigrant Rights Legal Defense Program
All in all, the Immigrant Rights Legal Defense Program brings new hops for immigrant detainees. For more information, get in touch with an immigration deportation attorney at dial (818) 900-5707 today.
