In line with Vera’s mission to promote dignity and due process for people facing deportation, Vera was the primary contractor for the Immigration Court Helpdesk program funded by the Department of Justice’s Executive Office of Immigration Review. Vera proudly worked in partnership with EOIR and legal service providers across the country to provide critical legal access and information services to people facing detention and deportation. Vera ended our role as the primary contractor of that program in 2022. It is currently being managed by the Acacia Center of Justice.

To learn more about this work, please visit acaciajustice.org


The Immigration Court Helpdesk (ICH) program educates non-detained respondents in removal (deportation) proceedings about the court process. The goal of ICH is to help individuals make informed decisions about their legal cases and, in doing so, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of immigration court proceedings. Vera works with thirteen nonprofit legal service providers, who offer sessions about the immigration court process generally and potential defenses from removal. The program, funded by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and administered by Vera, operates at thirteen immigration courts across the country.

Project Locations

Project Objectives

  • Because immigrants in court proceedings are not entitled to legal representation at the government’s expense, ICH prepares unrepresented individuals to understand the immigration court process and navigate a complex legal system on their own.

  • By providing immigrants with the knowledge to make informed decisions, ICH helps make immigration proceedings more efficient in courts with significant backlogs across the country.