Having a lawyer can make all the difference in the world to someone facing deportation in federal immigration court, where the law is dizzyingly byzantine. Part of the problem is a lack of attorneys trained in immigration law, and part of it is money — immigrants, unsurprisingly, often lack the resources to hire lawyers. Nonprofit activist groups and private law firms with rigorous pro bono programs have provided lawyers in some cases to people facing deportation, but there aren’t nearly enough such lawyers to go around. Estimates suggest that a person in detention facing deportation is about 10 times more likely to win his or her case with a lawyer. Now SB 6, which has cleared the state Senate and is under consideration in the Assembly, would provide an additional $12 million for lawyers for people facing deportation.

Source: Los Angeles Times April 25, 2017 11:01 UTC