The LOP was initiated by the Executive Office for Immigration Review in 2003 to provide legal information and orientations to individuals being held in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Acacia Center for Justice began administering the government-funded LOP in 2022, and until the recent termination of the program, the LOP provided in-person services in 35 ICE detention facilities, which expanded to more than 100 facilities through the telephonic LOP Information Line. During the period from September 2022 through September 2024, eighteen LOP providers served more than 98,000 participants in ICE custody.  

Effective 12:01 AM on April 16, 2025, the LOP – alongside several other orientation programs, including the Legal Orientation Program for Custodians (LOPC), Immigration Court Helpdesk (ICH), Family Group Legal Orientation Program (FGLOP), and Counsel for Children Initiative (CCI) – was terminated after over two decades of bi-partisan support. To justify terminating the contract, the Department of Justice claims they intend to federalize the program which “will be administered by a team of EOIR employees including the immigration judge corps.”  

Importantly, since the inception of LOP, Congress has explicitly stated that these programs should be run by non-governmental agencies and nonprofits to provide individuals in removal proceedings with information related to their rights and responsibilities in immigration proceedings. 

Acacia is concerned that the absence of LOP services and/or the federalization of the program will deny individuals detained by ICE access to basic, impartial information required by due process.