EO First Responders, Airport Lawyers, Under Attack
Photo via The National Advocates
Remember when President Trump issued his executive orders in January and lawyers flocked to airports to help passengers caught up in the upheaval? Well, some of those lawyers are now in hot water.
Four weeks ago, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP)—a respected nonprofit in Seattle that represents immigrants in deportation proceedings—received a “cease and desist” letter from the DOJ threatening disciplinary action. The letter demanded that NWIRP drop representation of its clients and close down its asylum-advisory program.
Why? Because NWIRP used “force multipliers” (to steal a government enforcement term) to maximize its representation of individuals in airports. Specifically, NWIRP worked to “leverage the volunteer work of lawyers at big law firms, who represent children and refugees in immigration and asylum proceedings for free” to aid in the emergency response taking place in airports.
The Department of Justice argues this is a problem because “NWIRP provides advice and assistance to people in immigration proceedings without committing to full representation.” And that, the DOJ argues, is a violation of rules meant to prohibit the exploitation of migrants by those unauthorized to practice law (think: notarios).
NWIRP may be the first entity facing such a legal challenge, but it’s unlikely to be the last. The DOJ’s approach is, in every sense of the word, chilling.
For more information, check out NWIRP’s litigation page. Hat tip to Anil Kalhan for bringing this story to our attention.
-KitJ