Advancing Universal Representation Initiative

Who we are

Vera’s Advancing Universal Representation initiative is driving a national movement for “universal representation,” a public defender system for people in immigration court. Our goal is to establish a right to representation for all immigrants facing deportation.

With immigrant communities under acute threat in the face of an overtly anti-immigrant administration, the need for legal defense for immigrants is more urgent than ever. Vera’s work builds on two decades of experience pioneering universal representation programs at all levels of government.

In 2017, Vera launched the SAFE (Safety & Fairness for Everyone) Network to accelerate the expansion of universal representation programs across the country. Since then, Vera’s SAFE Network has partnered with local and state governments, legal service providers, and advocates as part of a growing number of jurisdictions funding deportation defense. Today, there are more than 55 such programs nationwide, including more than 30 members of the SAFE Network. SAFE paves the way for federal action, highlights the power and influence of local leadership, demonstrates the positive impact of a policy solution that supports a functional and fair immigration system, and provides a concrete example of how leaders can support their immigrant neighbors while promoting stable communities and a prosperous economy.

In 2022, Vera and the National Partnership for New Americans launched the Fairness to Freedom campaign to push for legislation that establishes a universal right to federally funded legal representation for anyone facing deportation who cannot afford it.

By fighting for universal representation, Vera and its partners are keeping families together, disrupting the criminalization and deportation of immigrants and their families, and protecting people from the deplorable conditions of immigration detention. Our work is a key part of building toward the transformation needed to advance an immigration system based on human dignity, due process, and fundamental fairness.

Driving the movement for universal representation

Everyone—regardless of who they are, where they come from, or how much money they have—deserves to be treated fairly, humanely, and with dignity. Therefore, we believe that every person facing deportation should have an equal opportunity to have high-quality, person-centered legal representation in immigration court, regardless of income, race, national origin, or history with the criminal legal system. We aim to make universal representation a reality.

Fairness to Freedom Campaign

The Vera Institute of Justice and the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) have launched a campaign to push for legislation that establishes a universal right to federally funded legal representation for anyone facing deportation.

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What is universal representation?

Universal representation—a public defender system for people facing deportation—ensures that everyone has access to an attorney. By making sure that everyone has equal access to due process, universal representation promotes a more equitable system for all. Universal representation is a key part of fighting for broader reforms to remedy the fundamentally cruel and unfair immigration system.

Why do we need universal representation?

Unlike in the criminal legal system, which guarantees the right to defense counsel under the Sixth Amendment, there is no right to appointed counsel for people facing detention and deportation even though the stakes are just as high.

As a result, most immigrants facing deportation—particularly those in detention—go unrepresented, forced to defend themselves alone against the federal government, where their prospects of successfully representing themselves are extraordinarily slim. The scale of the problem is enormous: as of December 2024, 67 percent of the more than 3.7 million people in deportation proceedings did not have a lawyer. Every day, people with a legal right to remain in the United States are deported simply because they could not afford an attorney to help defend that right before a judge.

67%
of people in immigration detention with cases opened in the past five years do not have a lawyer to protect their rights.
3.7M
pending deportation cases in immigration court, as of December 2024.
2.5M
pending cases where people are navigating deportation proceedings alone, with no lawyer to defend them.
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Shayna Kessler Initiative Director, Advancing Universal Representation