In one of the Trump administration’s first actions of its anti-immigrant agenda, the National Immigrant Justice Center received a stop-work order on January 23 ending federal funding for our Immigration Court Helpdesk at the Chicago Immigration Court. Since 2016, this Department of Justice-funded program has provided legal information to immigrants who arrived at court without legal representation. In recent months, the desk had been assisting dozens of people per week, including many people who recently arrived from Venezuela and other countries via the U.S.-Mexico border and were seeking assistance in applying for asylum or other legal status.
Nationwide, the Department of Justice’s order cuts off a lifeline for people in immigration detention, families navigating a complex immigration system, and some unaccompanied children.
Immigration law experts called on the Department of Justice to rescind its recent stop-work order and restore the four vital programs. Watch the press conference here.
Azadeh Erfani, policy director, National Immigrant Justice Center: “Up until last Wednesday, the National Immigrant Justice Center’s Immigration Court Helpdesk in Chicago worked collaboratively and with the full support of immigration judges and court staff, who understood that our services fill a vital gap as many people cannot afford to retain an attorney. Through the helpdesk, NIJC has been able to identify emergencies, such as imminent filing deadlines, avoid deportation orders, explain options, dispel myths and fears, and help participants make informed decisions as their cases move forward. It brings much-needed clarity, due process guardrails, and efficiency to both the courts and immigrant communities. It is unconscionable to defund those services at a time where the administration is conducting mass raids and further swelling an immigration court backlog nearing 4 million people.”
Michael Lukens, executive director, Amica Center for Immigrant Rights: “Amica Center is committed to providing immigration orientation services to people held by the government facing deportation, despite any attempts by the Trump Administration to target nonprofits and our work. Our Legal Orientation Program team provides basic due process protections to those held by ICE. We break through the isolation and exile that is detention to ensure that people know their rights and how to navigate the immigration court system. We will fight the mandated stoppage of our services in the public square, the courts, and the halls of Congress. No person should be detained, and until that truth is a reality, no person should be detained without due process, legal access, transparency, and accountability.”
Abdoulaziz Moussa Djibril, legal orientation program participant and member of the board at Amica Center for Immigrant Rights: “As an Immigrant, we feel part of this beautiful country that gave us shelter and security when we needed it most. A country—in exchange—to which we sacrifice ourselves every day depending on whether we are active army members, dedicated employees who build infrastructure, or simply civil servants. Therefore, I believe we have earned the privilege to seek the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of the United States.”
Andrew Nietor, member of the board of governors of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA): “Targeting programs that help children and other vulnerable people is problematic on its face, but it is important that we evaluate it together with the other executive actions implemented in the past week. Those include the elimination of the Sensitive Locations policy that now allows ICE enforcement officers to enter hospitals and schools and churches, suspension of all refugee programs, and the termination of the CBPOne app for people seeking asylum who have been stuck in Mexico waiting for months. These policies belie the administration’s rhetoric about prioritizing public safety and targeting people with serious criminal history, and instead demonstrate that they are targeting the most vulnerable people while also eroding our most basic principles of due process and fairness.”
Laura St. John, legal director, Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project: “Through the Legal Orientation Program (LOP), Florence Project legal staff deliver weekly Group Orientations educating people about their rights and possible defenses to deportation as well as small-group workshops on topics like how to prepare for a bond hearing and one-on-one individualized orientations. In addition to safeguarding the bare minimum of due process, LOP improves the functionality of the immigration system by helping people better understand their immigration proceedings. If this Stop Work order is not reversed, hundreds of thousands of immigrants will be forced to represent themselves in legal proceedings with no information or understanding of the legal process they are going through. Other executive orders by the Trump administration pledge to operationalize massive deportation operations throughout the country and expand immigration enforcement. Trying to simultaneously revoke even the most basic access to legal information and support for people in immigration detention is cruel and inhumane.”