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Posda Tuot, cousin of Nak Kim “Rickie” Chhoeun, speaks during a news conference in downtown LA. Rickie was detained by ICE on October 20, 2017. Photo courtesy of AAAJ-LA.

File photo.

Los Angeles County nonprofits have received $7.450 million from the L.A. Justice Fund to provide legal services for immigrants facing detention and deportation, it was announced today.

Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, which has an office in Long Beach, was among the 17 grantees.

“In the face of increased federal immigration enforcement, Los Angeles is stepping up with the L.A. Justice Fund to provide support, hope and access to justice for our immigrant communities,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis said in a statement. “I am hopeful that L.A. County’s $3 million dollar contribution to the L.A. Justice Fund will make a world of difference in the lives of many immigrants who could not otherwise afford a lawyer, as they face deportation and being torn apart from their families and their lives here in Los Angeles.”

According to the L.A. Justice Fund, more than two-thirds of detained individuals are unrepresented in their deportation hearings. Immigrants who have lawyers are five times more likely to succeed in challenging their deportation orders. The funds aim to increase access to legal representation by supporting a network of nonprofit agencies and nonprofit service providers.

 

“There is nothing more troubling than visiting an immigration court to see one immigrant after another subject to deportation because they simply don’t have legal representation,” Directing Attorney, Public Counsel and L.A. Justice Fund grantee Judy London said in a statement. “People are going to have lawyers who are going to aggressively fight for their rights because of the fund.”

The L.A. Justice Fund is a public-private partnership between Los Angeles County, the city of Los Angeles, the Weingart Foundation and the California Community Foundation who both provide assistance to underserved and impoverished communities.

The 17 grantees are:

  • Asian Americans Advancing Justice Los Angeles
  • Bet Tzedek
  • Central American Resource Center (CARECEN)
  • Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA)
  • Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, Catholic Charities of Los Angeles
  • Immigrant Defenders Law Center
  • Kids in Need of Defense, Inc. (KIND)
  • Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA)
  • Los Angeles LGBT Center
  • Loyola Immigrant Justice Legal Clinic
  • National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON)
  • OneJustice
  • Program for Torture Victims (PTV)
  • Public Counsel
  • Southwestern Law School, Immigration Law Clinic
  • USC Gould School of Law, Immigration Clinic
  • Vera Institute of Justice, Center on Immigration and Justice