[link removed] [[link removed]]
John,
Health officials have told us to stay home and practice social distancing to flatten the curve of COVID-19.
However, the government is ignoring this advice when it comes to immigration courts and detention facilities. Thousands of in-person court hearings continue and nearly 40,000 detainees are held in close quarters.
The American Immigration Council trains volunteer attorneys to represent people in detention through the Immigration Justice Campaign. We know firsthand that there are real concerns about due process for migrants in this moment—in addition to the public health risks under these circumstances.
That’s why we just filed a lawsuit to close the immigration courts and continue time-sensitive cases through remote technologies [[link removed]] . The Campaign—alongside the American Immigration Lawyers Association—is represented by our fellow plaintiffs National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild.
The lawsuit demands that the government:
*
Suspend
in-person
hearings
for
the
duration
of
the
pandemic.
*
Allow
for
remote
court
appearance
instead.
*
Guarantee
secure
ways
for
attorneys
and
detained
clients
to
speak
to
each
other.
If the government will not do this on their own, the Council will use all tools at our disposal to force their hand.
Reducing the number of people in detention and using remote technologies will preserve access to counsel and protect the health of all Americans—regardless of immigration status.
Sincerely,
[[link removed]]
Beth Werlin
Executive Director
Make a gift today to support legal action like this.
Give $50 [[link removed]] Give $100 [[link removed]]
Give $200 [[link removed]] Give $300 [[link removed]]
Give $500 [[link removed]] Other Amount [[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]]
Immigration Impact [[link removed]] | ImmigrationCouncil.org [[link removed]] [[link removed]] | unsubscribe: [link removed]
1331 G St. NW Suite 200, Washington, D.C., xxxxxx