Department of Justice terminates legal access programs for migrants
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Estrella del Paso, a local Diocesan migrant and refugee services organization, was informed by the U.S. Department of Justice that its Legal Orientation Program (LOP) and Immigration Court Helpdesk (ICH) will be terminated effective Tuesday night.
According to Estrella del Paso, these programs help migrants facing deportation to understand their rights and how their cases will proceed before the El Paso immigration court.
The LOP at Estrella del Paso works inside the two immigration detention centers in this area; at the El Paso Service Processing Center and the Otero County Processing Center, for individuals appearing before the El Paso Detained Immigration Courts.
The ICH program provides services at the El Paso Non-Detained Court.
Now Estrella del Paso has seen a significant hit in funding.
"We are truly scrambling right now to figure out how we can take these incredible people that we have that do this work day in and day out, and our experts in educating the community, how we can take those resources and try and turn them into a community resource that we can use differently," said Executive Director of Estrella del Paso, Melissa M. Lopez.
Estrella del Paso also said that the DOJ’s decision to terminate these legal access programs denies people in ICE detention and those going through the deportation process information about their legal rights and the deportation process and an understanding of the immigration court system in the United States.
“Since 2003, the Legal Orientation Program has enjoyed bi-partisan Congressional support and funding. Every Department of Justice program evaluation demonstrates cost savings for the federal government. Participants of the LOP are well-informed of their rights, the process, and what to expect. This results in their cases being concluded an average of two weeks more quickly than non-participants. The LOP and ICH programs are a lifeline for individuals facing deportation and critical to ensuring immigrants receive due process. The elimination of these programs will force individuals to appear before the local immigration courts unformed and unsure how to proceed,” Executive Director Lopez added.
