In a move that many activists are calling “surgical,” the Donald Trump administration has begun quietly dismantling one of the oldest and most vital tools for the immigrant community: the Recognition and Accreditation Program(R&A). As revealed by a CBS News investigation, the administration has rendered this office virtually inoperable, jeopardizing legal representation for thousands of low-income individuals.
This program, which has more than 60 years of history under the wing of the Department of Justice, allowed trained workers from community organizations (who are not necessarily lawyers) to assist indigent immigrants in complex proceedings. The goal was always clear: to ensure that no one would be deported simply because they could not afford a private law firm.
The “emptying” of offices
Sources close to the case reported that last week, key attorneys assigned to this program were suddenly transferred to the Immigration Courts.
The result? The office was reduced to just two support staff who have no legal authority to grant new accreditations.
“They are letting the program die from administrative starvation,” legal experts comment.
Under this initiative of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), organizations such as Catholic Charities and Jewish Family Services had successfully accredited more than 2,600 community advocates.
Today, that army of legal aid is in limbo.
Strategy or bureaucracy?
Although a Trump administration official denied to the television network that the program will be formally abolished – as it is established by regulation – the facts say otherwise.
By removing the staff who sign accreditations, the flow of new defenders is stopped in its tracks, leaving foreigners with pending proceedings totally unprotected from an increasingly aggressive system.
This measure adds to a long list of restrictions imposed by the White House to make it more difficult for immigrants to successfully advance in their legal processes.
For many, this is the final blow to “due process”: if you don’t have money for a lawyer and the government takes away your community defender, your departure from the country is almost certain.
Do you think it is fair to eliminate legal aid for those who cannot afford it, or do you think that everyone should pay for their own defense without the help of the state?
Filed under: Recognition and Accreditation Program