DKT Liberty Project and Jenner & Block to Provide Lawyers for Immigrants at Detention Center
As the number of immigrants in detention rises, the DKT Liberty Project has partnered with the law firm Jenner & Block, on a unique pilot program to provide free representation to detainees. Called the Representation Project, the program will screen detained immigrants at the ICE detention center in Calhoun County, Michigan and then provide lawyers at no charge.
Led by Jenner & Block partner Lindsay Harrison, the Calhoun facility was chosen because immigrants detained there currently have very little access to legal counsel. There is no “public defender” system for immigrants in the United States and most jailed immigrants do not have access to counsel. As a result, many do not even attempt to seek relief from deportation, such as asylum.
According to the DKT Liberty Project founder Phil D. Harvey, more than 40,000 immigrants throughout the United States are jailed while facing deportation hearings and the clear majority – approximately 86% of them – do not have a lawyer.
KJ