RMIAN Decries Termination of Funding for Legal Representation for Unaccompanied Children

MEDIA INQUIRIES 

Contact: Ashley Harrington, aharrington@rmian.org, RMIAN Children’s Program Managing Attorney 

Westminster, Colorado, March 21, 2025—Today the federal government suddenly and without notice cancelled its contract to provide funding for legal representation to unaccompanied children. This order immediately stops all funding for legal representation of over 26,000 unaccompanied children across the country, including close to 200 children represented by RMIAN in Colorado.

“This brazen, heartless act endangers children’s lives,” says Ashley Harrington, RMIAN Children’s Program Managing Attorney. “RMIAN represents child survivors of trafficking, abuse and trauma, including children as young as two years old. Children cannot be expected to navigate the harsh and complicated immigration legal system without an attorney. This administration wants to force us to abandon them to face ICE and the immigration courts alone. But we will continue to stand in solidarity with these children and fight to protect their rights to legal representation.” 

These are stories of children RMIAN has recently helped through the Unaccompanied Children's Program:

• Growing up, Lydia* was beaten by her father almost daily. As a young teenager, she fled her home and came to the United States as an unaccompanied child. RMIAN will no longer receive funding from ORR to continue Lydia's legal representation, even though she is eligible to receive a green card and eventually become a U.S. citizen. 

• RMIAN represents three siblings ages 7-13 who came to the United States on their own last year after their parents were killed by gang members in their home country and they were left with an abusive uncle. RMIAN will no longer receive funding to continue the fight to prevent these siblings’ deportation.  

* Indicates use of a pseudonym. 

“The termination of this essential and life-saving legal work is a direct attack not only on the children and families who RMIAN represents, but also on the rule of law and fundamental fairness in the U.S. legal system. The cruelty of this decision could not be more stark: forcing vulnerable children and youth to represent themselves in adversarial court proceedings where their lives may be on the line. RMIAN rejects this cruelty. We will fight with and for our child clients, and for due process and fairness in our country,” says Mekela Goehring, Executive Director, RMIAN.  

Please follow this link to send a letter to your elected representatives and demand the administration resume this funding that provides life-saving legal support to thousands of children every year. 

To learn more about the unaccompanied children’s program and its critical legal services please register for a public webinar on Monday March 24, 2025 at noon MST.  

To donate to RMIAN’s work to ensure legal representation for individuals in immigration proceedings in Colorado, please visit www.rmian.org/donate. 

April 9th Hybrid Half Day CLE: Family Preparedness for Immigrant Families

AILA-Colorado, Colorado Bar Association CLE (CBA-CLE), Colorado Lawyers Committee (CLC), and Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) invite you to a half day CLE on April 9th, 2025, from 12:45 to 4:00PM (approved for 3 general credits). The CLE will be in person (bring your own lunch) at CBA-CLE with a virtual option.

Family Preparedness for Immigrant Families will cover the legal and practical aspects of preparing our clients for possible detention and/or deportation under the new administration. Our leading Colorado experts will present on the nuts and bolts of “family protection plans,” medical powers of attorney, financial powers of attorney, delegations of parental authority, testamentary appointment of guardian forms, the tools available within the Colorado courts to safeguard children, and how to navigate the current climate of fear and uncertainty with our clients. 

Panelists: Sulma Mendoza, JAMLAC; Christine Stroup, Brown Law Firm; Honorable Sara S. Price, Magistrate Judge for CO 17th Judicial District; Lisa Kunkel, LCSW, RMIAN

Register at: https://forms.gle/oxAdw41Ahjbqwhaw6  by April 4, 2025.

Cost is $50 for private attorneys and paralegals and $25 for non-profit staff.

Standard Fee Payment Link: https://secure.affinipay.com/pages/colorado-chapter-of-aila/half-cle-members

Non-Profit Staff Payment Link: https://secure.affinipay.com/pages/colorado-chapter-of-aila/discounted

Community Organizations and Elected Officials Demand Immediate Release of Jeanette Vizguerra Following Unjust ICE Detention

Full Press Release Here

RMIAN condemns Trump administration's executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act

MEDIA INQUIRIES 

Contacts: 
Mekela Goehring, mgoehring@rmian.org, RMIAN Executive Director
Monique Sherman, msherman@rmian.org, RMIAN Detention Program Managing Attorney 

Westminster, Colorado, March 16, 2025—Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) condemns the Trump administration’s March 15, 2025 executive order that invokes the Alien Enemies Act to trample fundamental principles of due process and rule of law in our country’s immigration legal system. RMIAN applauds a federal court’s order yesterday blocking the use of this executive order.

RMIAN’s founding board member and UCLA Professor of Law Hiroshi Motomura states, “Invoking the Alien Enemies Act is part of a larger, very disturbing pattern of painting all immigrants in the United States with a broad brush, calling them invaders or worse. The Enemies Act applies to foreign governments and their agents, not to individuals living and working in the United States. To declare "invasion" or "emergency" is a power grab that short-circuits due process, the rule of law, and any fair-minded attempt to fix an immigration system that virtually all agree is broken.”

RMIAN’s Executive Director Mekela Goehring states, “This executive order recalls some of the most shameful parts of U.S. history, and if allowed to stand will be used to absolutely trample any semblance of due process and civil rights for individuals from Venezuela in our community. We already have seen how allegations of TdA membership have been used to justify totally unrelated immigration arrests in Colorado. If allowed to stand, this EO opens the door to graver deprivations of due process, including the detention and removal of individuals (even those present in the U.S. lawfully) without any court process.”

RMIAN stands with our community and will fight against this injustice and attempts to strip away fundamental fairness and rights. We are closely watching the unfolding situation and are ready to mobilize to protect due process and ensure justice for immigrants in Colorado.

The ACLU and Democracy Forward filed litigation on March 15th:

• https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/federal-court-temporarily-blocks-trump-from-removing-some-immigrants-in-u-s-using-alien-enemies-act

• https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/federal-court-broadens-temporary-block-on-trump-using-alien-enemies-act-to-remove-immigrants-from-the-u-s

For additional background on this law, please see:

• https://www.axios.com/2025/03/14/trump-alien-enemies-act-deportations

• https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/alien-enemies-act-explained 

To donate to RMIAN’s work to ensure legal representation for individuals in immigration proceedings in Colorado, please visit www.rmian.org/donate. 

March Renewal Session: The Future of Loving our Immigrant Neighbors with Mekela Goehring Wed. March 19 at 12:00 pm MT via Zoom

As the world around us shifts and new policies attack the most vulnerable members of our communities, how can we love and support our immigrant and migrant neighbors? What steps can we take to protect the rights of our community while pushing for a safer future?

Join us for our March Renewal Session as Mekela Goehring, Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, shares about her work and the ways you can support immigrant populations in your community.

Register Now

About Renewal

The Renewal Conference is Iliff’s annual community gathering to share our work, hear timely messages from a variety of experts, and spend time in fellowship.

This year, our Renewal sessions focus on Looking to the Future.
We are always considering the future. As individuals, as members of groups, as citizens, we are often asking, What will tomorrow bring? How will our world, our country, our institutions look in the coming years? And how can we shape that future to make it better? 

In the midst of so many uncertainties, this Renewal season will focus on the question of what is coming next and how we can work for a better future. We will discuss topics ranging from artificial intelligence to religious institutions to politics and government. What can we expect as we watch these spaces change over the weeks, months and years, and what can we do? Join us for the 2024-2025 Renewal season as we learn about what tomorrow may hold and what we can do to enact justice today.

Call to Action for Sanctuary City Hearing Denver

In Denver, we defend our neighbors. Denver has long been a leader in standing up for ALL our families - regardless of where they were born.

Take Action Now: Sign this petition organized by the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition and let Denver Mayor Mike Johnston him know you support Denver’s commitment to welcoming all people and ensuring that every person — no matter where they were born — can live with dignity and equal rights under the law.

Together, we make Denver stronger.

Denver7: RMIAN discusses impact of stop work order on legal services for unaccompanied minors

Denver7 had a conversation with Ashley Harrington, RMIAN Children’s Program Managing Attorney, highlighting the critical role of legal representation in protecting vulnerable children navigating immigration proceedings. Watch the full segment here.

Colorado Sun: Colorado nonprofit allowed to continue helping immigrant children after Trump administration rescinds order

RMIAN celebrates the rescinding of last Tuesday's stop work order for legal services funded through the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Unaccompanied Children’s Program. Full article here.

USA Today: White House broadcasts immigration raids, but are arrests really up?

Laura Lunn, the Director of Advocacy & Litigation at RMIAN, speaks with USA Today about the lack of information surrounding the recent ICE arrests. "This should be terrifying to folks in our country that people are disappearing," says Lunn. "Our federal government is rounding up people in our community and not telling anyone what happened to them." More here.

RMIAN celebrates reinstatement of legal services for immigrant children!

RMIAN celebrates the rescinding of last Tuesday's stop work order for legal services funded through the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Unaccompanied Children’s Program. With this stop work order, the federal government gravely imperiled the ongoing representation of children in immigration proceedings. 

“RMIAN is thrilled to see this stop work order rescinded. RMIAN represents hundreds of unaccompanied children--some as young as two-years-old--who would otherwise be forced to navigate the complicated immigration legal system alone. RMIAN's clients include children who have been subjected to child abuse and neglect, trafficking and sexual abuse who fled to the U.S. for safety and protection. While the Trump administration attempted to halt funding for this program, we will always be committed to protecting and serving our child clients, no matter what,” says Ashley Harrington, RMIAN Children’s Program Managing Attorney. 

This order affected over 90 legal service providers across the U.S., including RMIAN, which together represent over 26,000 unaccompanied immigrant children in immigration court proceedings. About 160 children in Colorado were impacted by this order, where the federal government halted funding for their legal representation with the stroke of a pen. 

Gina Rangel, RMIAN Unaccompanied Children’s Program Coordinator and Paralegal says, “RMIAN stands in solidarity with the unaccompanied children across the country and will continue to fight for their access to free legal representation.”  

“Capriciously putting stop-work orders on life-saving immigration legal services for children is contrary to our values as a society that believes in the rule of law and equal access to justice. These actions put lives at risk, and further destabilize families and communities. We are grateful for the immense outpouring of support from individuals across Colorado and the United States who demanded that this essential legal work protecting children continue,” says Mekela Goehring, Executive Director, RMIAN.

Human rights organizations urge United Nations to denounce abuse of LGBTQ+ people in immigration detention facilities

Last week, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Black Diaspora Liberty Initiative, Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project, Immigration Equality, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, Sanctuary New Orleans Abolition Project, and the Transgender Law Center filed a joint submission urging the United Nations to denounce widespread abuse of LGBTQ+ people in for-profit immigration detention facilities across the United States. The groups drew special attention to lethal risks for detained transgender people and called on the UN to support state legislative solutions to end the abuse of for-profit immigration detention, like New York’s proposed Dignity not Detention Act. 

“Queer and trans immigrants are illegally, systematically, and doubly penalized for their identities – by their countries of origin, from which they escape, and by the U.S., the country that is supposed to protect them,” said Shira Hereld, staff attorney at Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network. “The U.S government and ICE’s treatment of trans immigrants sends a clear and noxious message: for some immigrants, there is no safe quarter anywhere.”

More here.

Trump administration halts funding for critical immigration legal services for unaccompanied children

On February 18, 2025, the federal government issued a stop work order for legal services funded through the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Unaccompanied Children’s Program. This stop work order gravely imperils the ongoing representation of children in immigration proceedings.  

“RMIAN is appalled and outraged that the administration has stopped funding legal representation for unaccompanied children. RMIAN represents hundreds of unaccompanied children--some as young as two-years-old--who would otherwise be forced to navigate the complicated immigration legal system alone. RMIAN's clients include children who have been subjected to child abuse and neglect, trafficking and sexual abuse who fled to the U.S. for safety and protection,” says Ashley Harrington, RMIAN Children’s Program Managing Attorney.  

The order affects over 90 legal service providers across the U.S., including RMIAN, which together represent over 26,000 unaccompanied immigrant children in immigration court proceedings. About 160 children in Colorado are impacted by this order, where the federal government halted funding for their legal representation with the stroke of a pen.  

Gina Rangel, RMIAN Unaccompanied Children’s Program Coordinator and Paralegal says, “RMIAN stands in solidarity with the unaccompanied children across the country who are impacted by this shameful stop work order and will continue to fight for their access to free legal representation.”  

These are stories of children RMIAN has recently helped through the Unaccompanied Children’s Program:

• Growing up, Lydia* was beaten by her father almost daily. As a young teenager, she fled her home and came to the United States as an unaccompanied child. RMIAN will no longer receive funding from ORR to continue Lydia's legal representation, even though she is eligible to receive a green card and eventually become a U.S. citizen. 

• RMIAN represents three siblings ages 7-13 who came to the United States on their own last year after their parents were killed by gang members in their home country and they were left with an abusive uncle. RMIAN will no longer receive funding to continue the fight to prevent these siblings’ deportation.   

* Indicates use of a pseudonym. 

Please reach out to your elected representatives and demand the restart of this critical legal access program that provides essential and life-changing legal support to thousands of children every year.  

---

Westminster, Colorado, 19 de febrero de 2025—Ayer, martes 18 de febrero de 2025, el gobierno federal emitió una orden de suspensión de los servicios legales financiados a través del Programa de Niños No Acompañados de la Oficina de Reubicación de Refugiados (ORR). Esta orden de suspensión pone en grave peligro a la representación continua de los niños en los procedimientos de inmigración.

<<RMIAN está consternado e indignado por el hecho de que la administración haya dejado de financiar la representación legal de los niños no acompañados. RMIAN representa a cientos de niños no acompañados, algunos de tan solo dos años de edad, que de otro modo se verían obligados a navegar solos por el complicado sistema legal de inmigración. Los clientes de RMIAN incluyen niños que han sido sometidos a abuso y negligencia infantil, tráfico y abuso sexual que huyeron a los EE. UU. en busca de seguridad y protección>> dice Ashley Harrington, abogada gerente del programa de niños de RMIAN.

La orden afecta a más de 90 proveedores de servicios legales en todo Estados Unidos, incluido RMIAN, que juntos representan a más de 26,000 niños inmigrantes no acompañados en procedimientos judiciales de inmigración. Alrededor de 160 niños en Colorado se ven afectados por esta orden, en la que el gobierno federal detuvo la financiación de su representación legal con un plumazo. Gina Rangel, coordinadora y asistente legal del Programa de Niños No Acompañados de RMIAN, dice: <<RMIAN se solidariza con los niños no acompañados de todo el país que se ven afectados por esta vergonzosa orden de suspensión del trabajo y seguirá luchando por su acceso a representación legal gratuita.>>

Los siguientes son historias de niños recién apoyados por el programa de niños no acompañados de RMIAN:

• Al crecer, Lydia* era golpeada por su padre casi a diario. Cuando era adolescente, huyó a los Estados Unidos como niña no acompañada. RMIAN ya no recibirá fondos de la Oficina de Reasentamiento de Refugiados (ORR) para continuar con la representación legal de Lydia, a pesar de que ella es elegible para recibir la residencia permanente y eventualmente convertirse en ciudadana estadounidense.

• RMIAN representa a tres hermanos de entre 7 y 13 años, que llegaron a los Estados Unidos por su cuenta el año pasado, después de que sus padres fueran asesinados por miembros de pandillas en su país de origen. Los hermanos fueron dejados con un tío abusivo. RMIAN ya no recibirá fondos para continuar la lucha contra la deportación de los tres hermanos.

* Indica el uso de un seudónimo.

Por favor, comuníquese con sus representantes electos y exija el reinicio de este programa crítico de acceso legal que brinda apoyo legal esencial y que cambia la vida de miles de niños cada año.

Colorado Public Radio: Immigration raids in Colorado, both highly visible and cloaked in secrecy, rattle advocates and local authorities

The distinction between federal law enforcement and civil immigration enforcement exists partly to bolster public safety, current and former prosecutors said. They were joined in that opinion by immigration lawyers who monitored Wednesday’s actions closely or were on the frontlines helping people as they entered detention. 

The community needs to be able to trust law enforcement officers and those officers need to be able to rely on the community — and depending on the crime, sources in the community — to tell them things. 

“If they don’t trust law enforcement, they probably won’t go to them and tell them, hey there is a dangerous thing happening in my neighborhood,” said Laura Lunn, an immigration attorney at the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, who works out of the GEO detention center, which houses immigrants. “When you blur the lines between these different agencies, you are causing distrust within the community of both agencies.”

Colorado Sun: ICE hasn’t revealed how many people were detained during raids of Denver, Aurora apartment complexes

Two days after tactical SWAT vehicles traversed Denver and Aurora and dozens of armed federal agents went door to door looking for Venezuelan gang members, federal officials have not said how many people they detained or whether they were connected to crimes. 

Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network said in a news release that “while ICE is claiming these raids are targeting individuals charged with crimes, we know that they are sweeping up immigrant community members indiscriminately.” 

Shira Hereld, one of the organization’s attorneys, said they saw a young girl holding her crying baby sister after their mother, their only parent, was taken by ICE agents. Hereld also saw the neighbors band together, check in on each other and help people find housing.

“These raids simultaneously expose the worst inhumanity of ICE and the most powerful humanity of our Colorado community,” Hereld said. 

Denverite: Spectacle or substance? Impact of Denver immigration raids is up for debate

In 14 years of working as an immigration attorney, Laura Lunn says she has never seen Immigration and Customs Enforcement show force like the agency did in the Denver metro on Wednesday morning.

“Today was all about a massive waste of resources, a lot of fear-mongering in our community,” said Lunn, who's the director of litigation and advocacy for the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network. “Ultimately, at the end of the day, it sounds like they arrested very few people.”

“It is clearly just to show the kind of might that these law enforcement agencies have with their military-grade vehicles to go and instill incredible fear into small children and crying babies,” Lunn said.

RMIAN Denounces ICE Raids

Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network condemns the ongoing ICE raids happening in Denver and Aurora. While ICE is claiming these raids are targeting individuals charged with crimes, we know that they are sweeping up immigrant community members indiscriminately. RMIAN staff were horrified to see the inhumane and violent approach in yesterday’s raids. 

Shira Hereld, RMIAN Staff Attorney, said "Witnessing the aftermath of the raid was devastating - the amount of fear, confusion, and pain. I was invited into an apartment whose door had been blasted open by flash-bang grenades. Inside, a young girl who didn’t even reach my shoulder held her baby sister, crying. Their mom - their only parent - had been taken by ICE. I also saw dozens of people band together to oppose the raid, to check in on their neighbors, to find quick housing, and to inform people of their rights. These raids simultaneously expose the worst inhumanity of ICE and the most powerful humanity of our Colorado community." 

Trump is directing resources to terrorize our community by promising to separate parents from their children and target people at home and at work. At the same time, this administration is stripping people of access to services that provide basic information to ensure due process is protected. We are at a crossroads where the executive branch is attempting to erode the power of the Constitution with every new executive order.  

The recent efforts to take away legal service attorneys from immigration detention centers and immigration courts (the only attorneys most people in these circumstances will ever get to see and talk to) while simultaneously mandating increased enforcement, detention, and expanded use of expedited removal is unprecedented. The loss of these fundamental protections is an intentional miscarriage of justice and the utmost cruelty and inhumanity. 

On Friday, January 31, 2025, RMIAN joined seven other nonprofit organizations and sued officials from the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security, challenging the stop work order that would strip away a quarter of RMIAN’s funding and jeopardize essential legal services. Though the case filed is still pending, RMIAN received news this week that the stop work order was rescinded and programming can resume.  

Monique Sherman, RMIAN Detention Program Managing Attorney, stated: “We are thrilled the stop work order has been rescinded and RMIAN's access to the ICE Aurora Detention Center continues. It is absolutely critical that detained individuals have access to vital legal information about their rights during complex, life-altering proceedings. The attempts to strip away legal services while increasing enforcement efforts is inhumane. RMIAN is committed to due process and fundamental fairness and will continue to fight this injustice at every turn.”  

Despite rescinding the stop work order, the Trump administration has a long history of trying to attack these legal access programs that dates back to 2018.  We fear this fight is not over—and that DOJ will continue to try other tactics to kill these programs. We all must continue fighting and advocating with our members of Congress to prevent further attacks on due process and legal access programs for immigrants.  

RMIAN is poised to challenge other government actions that harm our community and the people we serve. RMIAN will continue to fight for justice and due process, remaining steadfast in its commitment to provide legal support to people caught in the cross hairs, to keep families together and make sure people have access to fundamental fairness.

RMIAN and partner organizations sue the Department of Justice and Kristi Noem to restore legal access for immigrants facing deportation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Erin Barnaby, media@amicacenter.org

Washington, DC – Today, the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights and other partner organizations, represented by Gibson Dunn, announced the filing of a federal lawsuit against the government for shutting down critical legal orientation programs for immigrants, including people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The lawsuit, filed against the Department of Justice (DOJ), Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and other defendants, challenges the government’s recently imposed stop-work order for legal access programs that have obliterated access to the most basic information for unrepresented noncitizens about their rights and obligations throughout removal proceedings. 

Organizational plaintiffs in the suit include American Gateways, Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, Estrella del Paso, Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, Immigration Services & Legal Advocacy, National Immigrant Justice Center, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center, and Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network. 

The DOJ’s decision to shut down these national legal access programs poses a significant threat to the rights of immigrant children, adults, and families, especially those detained by the government. These legal orientation programs are crucial, as they provide immigrants—the vast majority of whom are unrepresented, and many of whom are confused and traumatized, do not speak English, and lack any legal education—with essential information about their rights throughout the immigration process and deportation proceedings. Such programs have bipartisan support, and the oldest has been in place for over two decades. 

The shutdown is a direct result of the January 20, 2025, Executive Order, “Protecting the American People from Invasion,” which has paved the way for mass deportations. Without access to legal information and support, noncitizens face severe obstacles in navigating their immigration proceedings. 

The lawsuit aims to restore immediate access to these essential programs, ensuring that people trapped in ICE detention receive the legal orientation and support that is their legal right. 

Complaint for Declaratory Injunctive Relief

Memo in Support of a Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction

Sam Hsieh, Deputy Program Direct of the Immigration Impact Lab, Amica Center, said:

“We are seeing the effects of Trump’s mass deportation plans across the country. While the threat of a mass detention camp in Guantanamo Bay is scary, the reality is that mass detention is already happening. Without these legal access programs, unrepresented immigrants in detention have lost their last lifeline and will be deported without the most basic due process protections—making this lawsuit all the more urgent.”

Adina Appelbaum, Program Director of the Immigration Impact Lab, Amica Center, said:

“Blocking legal service providers from accessing immigration jails means detention centers are now effectively unsanctioned black sites. Without these legal access programs, no legal service provider is able to see what the government is doing inside. It creates a dangerous environment where the government has unchecked power to operate mass detention and deportation without any accountability.”

Amer S. Ahmed, Partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, said:

“Gibson Dunn is proud to represent these organizations and support their work.  We look forward to a quick reinstatement of the critical legal orientation work authorized by Congress, and the vindication of our clients’ rights.”

Laura St. John, Legal Director, Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project said: 

“Since our founding in 1989, the Florence Project has been providing legal education and support services to people in immigration detention. The Florence Project was the blueprint for the LOP, and we have provided basic yet critical legal education to people facing deportation under that program for more than two decades. Since its inception, the LOP has enjoyed bipartisan support because it has long been recognized to be an effective minimum requirement to safeguard due process for people in immigration detention while also helping the court process run more efficiently. Providing legal education and resources is a cornerstone of the Florence Project’s mission, and without the LOP and other legal access programs halted by this order, hundreds of thousands of immigrants across the United States will face the full force of the U.S. legal system with no information or resources at all, leading to disastrous outcomes. Shutting down these contracts while simultaneously mobilizing massive deportation operations throughout the country and expanding immigration enforcement is cruel and an enormous violation of people’s rights under the law.” 

Mary Meg McCarthy, Executive Director, National Immigrant Justice Center, said:

“Since 2016, the National Immigrant Justice Center has worked collaboratively and with the full support of judges and staff at the Chicago Immigration Court to provide basic legal services to people trying to follow the law and navigate our country’s complex immigration system. Those officials understood that our Immigration Court Helpdesk services helped reduce harm in a system where a shortage of legal services leaves people vulnerable to unjust deportation and family separation. Our staff helped people file forms and applications with the government and provided basic information about the immigration process and individuals’ rights and responsibilities. It is unconscionable that this administration has so brashly cut off this lifeline for people who are looking to follow our laws and build secure futures for themselves and their loved ones.”

Vanessa Gutierrez, Deputy Director, Northwest Immigrant Rights (NWIRP), said:

“NWIRP’s Legal Orientation Program (LOP) is integral to providing education to unrepresented individuals detained and facing removal proceedings at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, WA. Through LOPs across the country, many individuals have a better understanding of their immigration proceedings, receive assistance filling out applications for relief, and are better prepared for their hearings. These services are especially critical because the overwhelming majority of persons detained by ICE are unrepresented and have access to no other legal assistance. NWIRP’s ability to meet with detained individuals through its LOP team is a critical aspect of ensuring that those in detention receive the legal resources, representation, and rights they are entitled to, particularly when they may not otherwise have access to counsel.”

Mekela Goehring, Executive Director, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) said:

“Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network was one of the very first nonprofit providers in the country providing services under the Legal Orientation Program, beginning in 2003. Throughout the last 22 years, this program has provided critical legal information and orientation to thousands of individuals detained in Colorado and facing removal proceedings before the Aurora Immigration Court. Similarly, children, families and individuals before the Denver Immigration Court have benefited from RMIAN’s services through the Family Group Legal Orientation Program and the Immigration Court Help Desk Program. These programs provide a critical lifeline in court systems where currently there is no right to court-appointed counsel, even for children or those in detention. Without access to legal orientation, thousands of individuals in Colorado will be left to navigate complex and life-altering immigration proceedings alone, facing immense challenges without information about their legal rights and responsibilities. The abrupt halt of these programs is a threat to the rule of law and the due process and protection it provides us all.”

Colorado Advocacy Groups Warn Against Harmful Impacts of the HR29|S5

Yesterday, President Trump signed into law HR 29/S 5, a piece of legislation that promotes divisive and harmful policies under the guise of public safety. This law represents a sweeping attack on all immigrant communities, empowering anti-immigrant officials to further scapegoat and target people who are integral members of our families and neighborhoods.

“While we all want to live in safe communities, we know this law will not make our communities safer,” shared Nicole Loy, Policy and Campaigns Manager with the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC). “Instead, it creates a chilling precedent by mandating the detention of immigrants who are merely accused of certain offenses, undermining the fundamental principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty, and further criminalizing black and brown communities, who are already unfairly targeted by law enforcement.’ This law will further erode trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities, leading to fewer crimes reported, and making everyone less safe.”

More here.

ACLU of Colorado & RMIAN send letter to school districts about legal rights of immigrant students

On January 31, 2025, the ACLU of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) sent a letter to school districts in Colorado to provide information about the legal rights of immigrant students in Colorado and the legal responsibilities of school districts towards their students. More here.

Westword: Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocates Ordered to Stop Work by Trump Policy

“Taking away access to these essential and life-saving immigration legal service programs while simultaneously ordering increases in immigration enforcement and detention that will trample community members’ rights is a shocking and gross violation of the fundamental principles of due process, equal access to justice, and to our values for caring for our community members and loved ones,” Mekela Goehring, the RMIAN executive director, says in a statement. Full article here.