There is no due process in immigration court. Unlike in our criminal legal system, there is no public defender system for people currently facing the threat of deportation. The Fairness to Freedom campaign is a national movement dedicated to changing this cruel system.
The stakes in the immigration system are life-shatteringly high. The consequences of losing a case—such as family separation and exile from one’s home—can be more serious than many criminal sentences.
We need federally funded legal representation for everyone facing deportation.
Universal representation:
- Advances racial justice.
- Keeps families together.
- Stabilizes communities.
- Helps to keep people out of detention.
- Plays a crucial role in restoring asylum.
- Disrupts the arrest-to-deportation pipeline.
Add your name: everyone deserves access to legal representation. It’s past time that our representatives pass federal legislation that ensures this fundamental right.
About Fairness to Freedom
The Vera Institute of Justice and the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) have launched a campaign to push for legislation that establishes a universal right to federally funded legal representation for anyone facing deportation.
The Fairness to Freedom campaign is supported by 125 endorsing organizations and builds upon years of momentum at the state and local level to advance universal representation. Over 55 jurisdictions have now stood up publicly funded deportation defense programs that keep families together.
Our vision is for all people whose life, liberty, or ties to the community are at risk in the immigration system to have access to quality and independent legal representation.
By establishing universal representation, we will not only help bring fairness to our immigration system but also advance a future in which people can fight their deportations with the support of their families and loved ones, free of detention or surveillance.
