Groups Call for Funds for Legal Representation in Immigration Court

Rafael Bernal, The Hill, Apr. 22, 2024

"A coalition of more than 100 civil rights and immigrant rights groups are calling on Congress to fund legal representation for foreign nationals in immigrant detention.  In a letter to the top appropriators in the House and Senate on Monday — Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Reps. Kay Granger (R-Texas) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) — the organizations said Congress should allocate $400 million for immigrant representation. ... The civil rights groups were joined in the letter by seven local governments and elected officials: Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, the Denver mayor’s office, the Chicago, Seattle and New Orleans city offices for immigrants and human rights, the city of Santa Ana, Calif., and the city clerk of North Miami, Fla.  The issue is especially important to local governments, which are often left to manage the consequences of family separations and labor losses due to deportations.  “There are 3.3 million immigrant entrepreneurs nationwide, and immigrant-led households have an estimated spending power of $1.3 trillion,” the groups wrote."