South Carolina, District 7
These Men Were Deported to El Salvador With No Due Process. Their Stories Show Why an Investigation Is Necessary
In the weeks before March 15, the Trump administration’s preparations for a major operation kicked into high gear. Venezuelan men attending routine check-ins with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ended up leaving in handcuffs. ICE agents fanned out across communities and began questioning and detaining men with tattoos. By the… Read More
Legal Service Providers Sue to Remove Barriers to Access to Counsel in Immigration Detention
Legal service organizations have sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for preventing people jailed at four immigration detention centers from having meaningful access to their lawyers. The barriers to attorney access at these facilities illustrate ICE’s failure to protect the fundamental rights of detained immigrants nationwide. At any… Read More
Department Of Justice Urges Immigration Courts to Help Make Pro Bono Representation Easier
Research has long shown that access to a lawyer is one of the most important factors that determines whether an immigrant in removal proceedings will be able to remain in the United States. A new policy from the Biden administration is aimed to increase access to counsel by making… Read More
New Illinois Law Allows Public Defenders to Represent Immigrants Facing Deportation
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a law in August that would allow the Cook County Public Defender to represent immigrants in the Chicago immigration court. The law is part of a movement to expand access to legal representation for people facing deportation. It comes on the heels of… Read More
A Federal Defender System for Immigrants Is Long Overdue
The stakes in immigration court could not be higher—many people face the possibility of being permanently torn away from their families and communities in the United States. Others seeking protection in the U.S. risk being forced back to dangerous conditions in their home countries. Despite these extraordinarily high stakes, immigrants… Read More
The Value of Pro Bono Legal Services in Immigration Detention
Once a year, National Pro Bono Week celebrates the pro bono work of lawyers, paralegals, and law students. Pro bono legal services—which come at no cost—are integral for many people otherwise left with little to no resources in immigration detention. Access to counsel in immigration detention is paramount to… Read More
ICE Makes It Almost Impossible for People to Make Phone Calls from Detention Centers, Even in a Pandemic
Communication with the outside world is crucial for people in jail. This includes individuals facing deportation while detained in immigration detention centers, who do not have the right to court-appointed counsel. Having the ability to make a phone call in a detention center is essential for a variety of… Read More
ICE Faces Lawsuit Over Blocking Phone Access to Detainees
A free phone call can mean the difference between a fair day in court and being deported to harm—or worse—for individuals held in immigration detention centers. Immigrants may not be able to meet with their attorneys in person, leaving phone calls as the only way to communicate about their cases. Read More
Conditions in Border Facilities Deny Asylum Seekers Meaningful Screening Interviews
In U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody, asylum seekers are detained in horribly cold and overcrowded facilities, unable to sleep, without access to food, water, or adequate medical care, and without access to an attorney. Under two new government processes—the Prompt Asylum Claim Review (PACR) and the Humanitarian Asylum… Read More
Immigration Courts Further Limit Legal Help Available to People Facing Deportation
Every year, thousands of people are forced to face the complex deportation system without an attorney representing them. Now, the immigration courts are seeking to limit the assistance that these individuals can receive from “friend of the court” attorneys. The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), the agency which includes… Read More
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