FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, April 22, 2024
CONTACT: Zameena Mejia, zmejia@vera.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, 108 state, local, and national organizations and 7 local governments and elected officials delivered a letter to Congress urging the leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to allocate funding in fiscal year 2025 to help safeguard the due process rights of people in removal proceedings by providing access to legal representation.

The letter, announced exclusively in The Hill, was led by Fairness to Freedom Campaign partners the Vera Institute of Justice and the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA). The campaign advocates for the establishment of a universal right to federally funded representation for anyone facing deportation who can’t afford it.

With no funding for adult legal representation in the final fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill or President Biden’s fiscal year 2025 budget request, the letter stresses the great need and urgency of allocating funds for the Department of Justice to increase legal representation for people facing deportation. Legal representation is one clear solution that would alleviate pressure on the heavily backlogged and outdated immigration system while also safeguarding people's due process rights.

The signatories write, “There is no right to a government-provided attorney in immigration court. People who appear in immigration court must pay for an attorney or go without representation while navigating complex rules and regulations against well-trained U.S. government attorneys, often in a language they do not understand. Despite the critical role of legal counsel, 63 percent of all people appearing in immigration court are unrepresented by counsel, and a staggering 83 percent of detained people face proceedings without counsel.”

Read the complete letter and list of signatory organizations and endorsers here.

Annie Chen, Vera Institute of Justice’s Advancing Universal Representation initiative director said, “Nobody should have to stand alone when facing complicated legal proceedings that could bring about the devastating consequences of detention or deportation. Immigration proceedings are fundamentally unfair; while the government is represented every time, people who cannot afford an attorney must appear before an immigration judge alone. Immigrants are integral to our families, communities, and economy. They deserve dignity and the chance to understand their rights. Funding legal representation will help secure this fair chance.”

Nicole Melaku, National Partnership for New Americans executive director said, “Legal representation for people facing deportation helps keep families together and our economy thriving. An attorney in immigration court is the difference between being imprisoned in ICE detention or being at home caring for the kids; between deportation to an unknown place or pouring into a thriving local business; between struggling to navigate the labyrinth of our outdated immigration system or having a chance to understand your rights and opportunities for relief. We know that legal representation can make a huge difference – and with immigration court backlogs topping out at 3.4 million cases, legal representation is needed now more than ever to keep our communities together and to promote fairness and dignity for people facing deportation."

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Fairness to Freedom: The Campaign for Universal Representation was launched by the National Partnership for New Americans and the Vera Institute of Justice in April 2022 with a coalition of over 200 organizations and legal service providers. The campaign’s goal is to support the passage of the Fairness to Freedom Act to establish a federal right to representation for all immigrants facing deportation.

The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) is a multi-ethnic, multiracial coalition of 70 of the nation’s largest immigrant and refugee rights organizations with reach across over 40 states. Together with our members, we advance immigrant and refugee equity and inclusion, build and expand immigration legal services and integration programming capacity, and drive campaigns that strengthen democracy through increased civic participation. See our website for more information at partnershipfornewamericans.org.

The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal legal and immigration systems until they’re fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. We develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn’t determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. Vera’s headquarters is in Brooklyn, New York, with offices in Washington, DC, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit vera.org.