Unlike in criminal cases, immigrants facing deportation proceedings are not guaranteed a court-appointed attorney if they cannot afford one.
With a federal administration committed to the mass detention and deportation of immigrants, and a new Congress actively stripping away existing rights and privileges, the Commonwealth must urgently intervene to prevent the deportation of immigrants who live, work and pay taxes in Massachusetts. The Immigrant Legal Defense Act would create a public and private-funded program to provide no-cost immigration legal defense to immigrants in Massachusetts who are at imminent risk of deportation, especially those held in federal immigration detention.
Download the Immigrant Legal Defense Act factsheet here
Immigrant Legal Defense Act_Factsheet