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La Defensa, a project of Tides Advocacy, is leading a movement to decarcerate the largest jail population in the United States–the LA County jail system–by reducing the power and scope of the judiciary, law enforcement and the legal injustice system. Rate My Judge is a campaign of La Defensa.

Learn more about La Defensa here and follow them on Instagram and Twitter.

Here you will find frequently asked questions, key terms, and definitions to ensure the information on this platform is accessible and digestible to all.

Resources

BAJI: 

“BAJI educates and engages African American and black immigrant communities to organize and advocate for racial, social and economic justice. Local BAJI Organizing Committees in New York, Georgia, California and Arizona build coalitions and initiate campaigns among communities to push for racial justice. At the local and regional level, BAJI provides training and technical assistance to partner organizations to develop leadership skills, works with faith communities to harness their prophetic voice, and initiates vibrant dialogues with African Americans and black immigrants to discover more about race, our diverse identities, racism, migration and globalization. BAJI’s flagship project is the Black Immigration Network (BIN), a national alliance that brings together black-led organizations and programs to advance just immigration policies and promote cultural shifts our communities need. The BIN kinship provides a safe, communal space for diverse black communities to connect, engage and advocate for equality and justice for all.”

Website: https://baji.org/ 
Email: info@baji.org
Phone: (347) 464-5422

Immigration Defense: 

“We are a next-generation social justice law firm that defends our immigrant communities against injustices in the immigration system.

ImmDef is fighting against the immigration system’s campaign of cruelty against migrants at the border with a focus on assisting children and families.  Access to an attorney for all immigrants involved in deportation proceedings is the first step that we must take to ensure fairness in U.S. immigration courts. Our model of universal representation is built on this principle. It is our long‐term goal to ensure that no immigrant is forced to face an unjust immigration system alone.”

Immdef is Southern California’s Largest Deportation Defense Non-Profit. Our team provides full‐scale deportation defense, legal representation, legal education, and connections to social services to approximately 3,000 detained or non-detained adults and children in Southern California annually.

Website: www.immdef.org/
Tel: 213-634-0999
Email: info@immdef.org

Public Counsel’s Immigrants’ Rights Project: 

Public Counsel’s Immigrants’ Rights Project envisions a world where all (im)migrants live with dignity, power, and opportunity. We are a team of advocates who collaborate with immigrant clients and communities to fight fearlessly for legal protections and a just immigration system. We practice holistic, trauma-informed advocacy, recognizing that our clients come to us with extraordinary strengths, but also vulnerability due to the violence many have experienced through forced migration and our broken immigration system. By utilizing a multi-disciplinary approach to our work, we help our clients thrive and secure legal status in the United States. We focus on representing immigrants in Southern California who cannot access legal protections without counsel.

We primarily serve immigrants in the Los Angeles area who lack access to legal services due to socioeconomic and language barriers. We prioritize serving asylum seekers, immigrants in detention, survivors of violent crime, and unaccompanied children.

Website: https://publiccounsel.org/programs/immigrants-rights-project/ 
Tel: (213) 385-2977 x600

Al Otro Lado: 

Al Otro Lado provides holistic legal and humanitarian support to refugees, deportees, and other migrants in the US and Tijuana through a multidisciplinary, client-centered, harm reduction-based practice.

We provide direct, free, legal services on both sides of the US-Mexico border and beyond. We engage in zealous individual representation,  medical-legal partnerships, and impact litigation to protect the rights of immigrants and asylum-seekers.

Website: https://alotrolado.org/
Email: info@alotrolado.org

General Key Terms 

  1. Immigration Judge: An official who conducts administrative court proceedings for the U.S. Department of Justice. Immigration judges decide whether foreign nationals are removable from the United States and are also responsible for adjudicating asylum claims.
  2. Immigrant Attorney: A lawyer specializing in immigration law who represents and provides legal advice to immigrants, asylum seekers, and others facing immigration-related issues.
  3. Interpreter: A person who converts spoken or signed language into another language in immigration court, helping non-English speakers understand and participate in the proceedings
  4. Asylum: Protection granted to foreign nationals already in the United States or at a port of entry because they have suffered persecution or fear persecution due to race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
  5. Deportation: The formal removal of an immigrant from the United States when the immigrant has been found removable for violating immigration laws. Deportation is ordered by an immigration judge without any punishment being imposed or contemplated.
  6. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA): The body of law governing current immigration policy. It outlines how foreign nationals may enter, reside in, and become naturalized citizens of the United States.
  7. Notice to Appear (NTA): A document issued by the Department of Homeland Security to an individual who is required to appear before an immigration judge. This document outlines the allegations and charges against the immigrant, the legal authority under which the proceedings are conducted, and the immigrant’s rights during the process.
  8. Removal Proceedings: The proceedings to determine whether an immigrant should be removed from the United States. These are conducted in immigration courts.
  9. Bond: A sum of money paid as bail that allows a detained immigrant to be released from detention while their case is being processed. It ensures that the immigrant will appear for all required immigration proceedings.
  10. Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR): The agency within the Department of Justice that administers the nation’s immigration court system. EOIR is responsible for adjudicating immigration cases by fairly, expeditiously, and uniformly interpreting and administering the nation’s immigration laws.
  11. Voluntary Departure: Permission from the immigration court for the immigrant to leave the United States at their own expense within a specific period of time, avoiding the penalties associated with forced removal.
  12. Credible Fear Interview: An interview conducted by a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officer to determine whether an asylum seeker has a credible fear of persecution or torture in their home country, which would make them eligible for asylum or withholding of removal under U.S. law.
  13. Department of Homeland Security (DHS): A federal department that oversees the safety and security of the United States. Within DHS, several agencies are involved in immigration enforcement and policy, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Procedural Key Terms 

  1. Master Calendar Hearing: The preliminary hearing in immigration court where the respondents’ charges are read, rights are explained, and initial pleadings are taken. This hearing determines the schedule for future hearings and whether the respondent intends to seek relief from removal.
  2. Continuance: A request to postpone a court hearing to a later date. In immigration court, continuances may be granted for various reasons, such as allowing more time to prepare a case, waiting for the outcome of a related legal matter, or obtaining legal representation.
  3. In Absentia Order: An order issued by an immigration judge when the respondent fails to appear at their scheduled hearing. This usually results in an order of removal (deportation) being issued against the immigrant.
  4. Merits Hearing (Individual Hearing): A detailed hearing where the immigrant presents evidence, testifies, and argues their case for remaining in the United States. This is akin to a trial in other courts and is more in-depth than the Master Calendar Hearing.
  5. Relief from Removal: Forms of legal protection for which respondents may apply to avoid being deported. Common types include asylum, adjustment of status, cancellation of removal, and certain waivers.
  6. Adjustment of Status: A procedure allowing certain immigrants already in the U.S. to apply for legal permanent resident status without having to leave the U.S.
  7. Cancellation of Removal: A form of relief that is available to qualifying permanent residents and non-permanent residents who meet specific requirements, such as having been in the U.S. for a certain number of years and demonstrating that removal would cause extreme hardship to themselves or immediate family members who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
  8. Withholding of Removal: A form of relief that requires a higher standard of proof than asylum. It prohibits deportation to a country where the immigrant’s life or freedom would be threatened on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
  9. Administrative Closure: A procedural tool used to temporarily remove a case from an immigration judge’s active calendar or from the Board of Immigration Appeals’ docket. It does not provide legal status but pauses proceedings without a final order being entered.
  10. Stipulated Removal: An agreement by which a respondent agrees to be removed from the United States without a hearing. This is sometimes chosen by respondents who wish to avoid prolonged detention but often requires careful consideration due to the waiver of many legal rights.
  11. Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA): The highest administrative body for interpreting and applying immigration laws. It reviews decisions made by immigration judges and, in some cases, decisions made by Department of Homeland Security officers.