FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 17, 2024
CONTACT: Madison Allman | press@acaciajustice.org
[WASHINGTON] – Anne Marie Mulcahy, chief program officer at the Acacia Center for Justice, issued the following statement in response to new findings that show that only 2.6% of families placed under the Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM) program have access to legal representation:
“The lack of legal support for families placed in the Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM) program is egregious and indicative of an erosion of due process protections for people who come to this country seeking safety. Expedited removal proceedings do not allow enough time for families to secure legal defense, leading to worse legal outcomes and higher rates of deportation back to often life-threatening conditions, likely unfairly denying legal relief for which many are eligible. Furthermore, these “rocket dockets” place a strain on an already overburdened field of legal services providers.
“We thank Representatives Jayapal and Barragán for shedding light on this significant gap in representation and strongly urge the Biden administration to stop enrolling people in programs like FERM. Instead, the administration should be working to provide comprehensive, equitable, and inclusive legal defense for all immigrants who come to the U.S. seeking safety.”
The Acacia Center for Justice is a non-partisan immigrants’ rights organization that supports and coordinates a portfolio of national and state programs delivering legal services and representation to immigrants at risk of deportation and detention.
###
