April 25, 2018
San Francisco, CA — Speaking today before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Department of Justice will not be moving to suspend the Legal Orientation Program (LOP) and the Immigration Court Helpdesk (ICH) program. This announcement reverses an April 10th announcement from the DOJ’s Executive Office for Immigration Review that indicated both programs would be suspended while the department conducts a review.
OneJustice applauds this reversal and celebrates that these programs will be able to once again serve thousands of immigrants and their families across the country.
At their core, both programs are designed to ensure greater fairness in the immigration court system. As the Vera Institute of Justice describes, “LOP empowers program participants to represent themselves if they have a valid claim under existing law or to determine that their best course is to accept deportation.” OneJustice previously published a statement condemning the DOJ’s move to end the programs, noting that the move would have a devastating impact on immigrants trying to understand their rights in immigration court.
We would like to thank members of Congress and everyone who voiced their support for these vital programs. Today’s announcement, however, does not guarantee the continued existence of either LOP or ICH; rather, it allows the programs to continue during a review by the Department of Justice. Nevertheless, we are optimistic. Julia Wilson, OneJustice CEO, stated, “We are confident that the upcoming review will reflect what past reviews have shown: that LOP and ICH protect due process for immigrants facing deportation, and annually save the federal government millions of dollars.”
OneJustice will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates on actions affecting the programs.
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