FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 1, 2025
CONTACT: press@acaciajustice.org
WASHINGTON –Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, issued the following statement in response to the resumption of the National Qualified Representative Program, which provides legal representation to people with severe mental and cognitive disabilities in immigration detention
“This hard-fought win is a testament to the strength of our partners and community members who showed up and spoke out about the critical importance – especially at this moment – of protecting the legal right to due process for people with cognitive disabilities in immigration detention across the United States. Even as we return to the important work ahead, the termination of this program and the delay in its reinstatement have resulted in serious due process violations, including the prolonged detention and in some cases deportation of people with severe mental health and cognitive disabilities who are unable to advocate for themselves in court.
“Access to legal representation helps make it possible for people to with cognitive disabilities to live safe and stable lives by ensuring people who lack the capacity to represent themselves in immigration court are not forced to navigate the U.S. immigration detention system alone. It is in recognition of this obligation to ensure justice accessibility for people with such severe mental health and cognitive disabilities that the Department of Justice has appointed counsel to individuals in immigration detention for the last decade.
“At Acacia, we will continue to work to safeguard programs that provide equal access to justice so that vulnerable community members, loved ones, friends, and neighbors caught up in this administration’s rapidly escalating deportation dragnet do not have to navigate the immigration system alone.”
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