Grant framed the conversation around a landmark study by the Vera Institute of Justice, which followed every person through immigration court proceedings in New York City. Without legal representation, 96% of people were deported. When the city funded lawyers for every person in immigration court, that number dropped to 50%… revealing that half of all deportations were happening not because the law required it, but because no one was there to apply it.

That finding is now playing out in Wisconsin. Approximately 175 people per month are currently being detained by ICE in the state. About 75% of those detained nationally have no criminal record at all. And because immigration law is civil, not criminal, there is no right to a public defender. People face complex legal proceedings alone… often without speaking the language… often after being separated from their families.

Session highlights:

• How the immigration court system works and why legal representation changes outcomes dramatically
• The distinction between civil and criminal law in immigration, and why it matters that detention looks nothing like a civil process
• Three groups of people currently being detained in Wisconsin: those without documentation, those with minor law enforcement interactions, and those who followed legal pathways that have since been cancelled
• The history of administrative immigration programs: from Reagan-era amnesty to DACA to temporary protected status and the consequences of their cancellation
• What due process means in practice: understanding your rights when law enforcement comes to your door, including the difference between an ICE administrative warrant and a judicial warrant
• The work of CILC and partner organizations like Voces de la Frontera, Centro Hispano, and Catholic charities to provide legal representation for people in immigration court

LINKS TO ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: