http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/23/nyregion/groups-to-provide-lawyers-for-children-who-face-deportation.html?ref=us&_r=0
Very cool thing happening in New York. Two charities (the Robin Hood Foundation and the New York Community Trust) are working together to fund a program that would allow child immigrants facing deportation representation in court. According to the article, those without representation, technically being denied due process, are far more likely to be deported than those with lawyers.
The groups have acted very quickly in response to the government's accelerated time frame of hearing child immigrant cases. There are groups that represent these kids for free, but when the new mandate went into effect, there were too many cases for them to work on. One of the spokespeople explains how they couldn't stand aside and watch case after case being decided for these kids, who have no idea what's going on. Realistically, they probably don't know any English, nor the legal system, so how can they possibly represent themselves well enough to avoid being sent back home?
I think it's great that two charities were able to work together to put forward a million dollars to give these kids a fighting chance. Restores a little faith in humanity.
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