Fight back against hate and the deportation machine
Much to the glee of Trump and his anti-immigrant allies, a vast majority of immigrants detained by ICE are unable to access legal counsel when faced with deportation. In 2016, only 14% of detained immigrants were able to get legal counsel, and those who were detained and did not have legal counsel were twice as likely to be deported.
This is not an accident, and the Trump Administration has made it worse.... By increasing the number of immigrants being arrested and placed into deportation proceedings, and by making visa, residency, and citizenship processes harder, there is a greater demand for already-overloaded immigration lawyers and a strain on organizations that offer pro bono services.
In the United States today, someone who commits a hate crime is entitled to representation from an attorney. Someone who is an immigrant who has never committed a crime in her life is not. This is why we NEED Universal Representation in Virginia. Providing immigrants access to counsel will not only defend immigrant's rights to a fair trial and due process, but it will also work to fight back against the hateful xenophobes who want to tear apart hundreds of families across the commonwealth.
CASA in Action fought hard to bring a Universal Representation to Fairfax County, and we were successful in implementing a pilot program that will help defend immigrant families facing deportation. Now, CASA in Action will fight to create a similar Universal Representation program for all Virginians facing deportation. Together, we can take a stand against racist, xenophobic agencies and policies and fight back alongside our immigrant friends and neighbors. Now is the time to take a stand, and we need your help.
Join us in this fight. Help us show that Virginia fights back against hate and the deportation machine. Together we will win.