NY State First in Nation to Ensure Counsel for All Detained Immigrants Facing Deportation

In recognition of the current climate of increased immigration enforcement, the Vera Institute of Justice and other organizations have partnered to ensure that detained New Yorkers in upstate immigration courts have legal representation in deportation proceedings. The state’s budget also allocated $4 million to expand the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP), a unique public defender program for immigrants facing deportation that was established in 2013. Although NYIFUP has been operating in a limited capacity in two upstate immigration courts, filling about 20% of the existing need, it now will be able to provide representation to all detainees facing deportation in four upstate immigration courts. Similarly, NYIFUP has historically provided counsel to financially eligible detained immigrants in New York City through funding by the City Council. All too often, detainees go unrepresented because they have no means of contacting, speaking to, or affording an attorney. Language barriers and a lack of knowledge about immigration laws only further hamper the detainees’ attempts to represent themselves in immigration court. Studies show that detained immigrants without counsel in deportation proceedings only succeed in avoiding deportation about 3% of the time. Having legal representation can improve a detainee’s chances of success in deportation proceedings by as much as 1000%. Aside from New York, no other state ensures that detained immigrants have lawyers. Avoiding deportation not only keeps immigrant families together, but helps the American economy with increased tax revenues and less need for social services. Likewise, employers avoid lost productivity when their employees are detained and deported. Given the benefits of the New York program, other large cities are looking at ways to create similar programs, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Legal representation is essential to fighting back against deportation charges brought by the federal government. The Oakland deportation defense attorneys of Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C. know how to help you through every step of your deportation proceedings. Take the first step today toward securing the future of your family in the United States, and call our office at (510) 756-4468 to set up a legal consultation with one of our highly skilled California immigration lawyers.