In a victory for local immigrant rights groups, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has announced that the district will provide a total of $2.5 million in funding to help immigrants access legal help, “and, for the first time, assist those detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
Twenty-two community agencies in the area are expected to receive Immigrant Justice Legal Services grant funds, her office said. “Mayor Bowser’s IJLS program also assists residents by offering know your rights workshops,” as well as assisting green card holders, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, Temporary Protected Status holders, and other immigrants needing legal help.
“Washington, DC remains committed to protecting our residents, and this year’s expanded investment allows us to partner with more community organizations to assist residents with a wide range of issues,” she said in the statement. “The IJLS grant program advances our DC values as a proud sanctuary city as we continue to help hundreds of Washingtonians become US citizens.”
Because people in immigration court aren’t provided with an attorney if they can’t afford one, localities have stepped up to assist families. In Portland, Oregon, over 100 asylum-seekers, as well as hundreds of others who are facing deportation, have been assisted by the Universal Representation project, approved by Portland’s city council last year.
Know Your Rights workshops, like the ones funded by IJLS, have also proven to help keep families together. During an ICE raid in New Jersey this past July, a teen named Liza knew not to open the door to agents unless they showed her a signed judicial warrant first. “We’re not trying to come inside your house, we just want to speak with you,” they claimed, but she refused to budge. “No, I’m not coming outside,” she told them.
Back in D.C., “immigrant rights advocates have called for the city to increase funding as they’ve seen more people detained by ICE. They applauded the Bowser administration’s recent announcement. ‘From our perspective, it’s crucial that detained immigrants receive representation. They are the most impacted,’ said Kelly White, director of the Detained Adult Program at the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights coalition.”