In front of Trump, lawyers competed to protect Oregon families from “threats of imminent deportation”
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In front of Trump, lawyers competed to protect Oregon families from “threats of imminent deportation”

During the weeks before President Donald Trump’s returned to the White House, a small group of lawyers worked quickly to try to protect as many people as possible from the threat of deportation before political changes came into force during the new administration.

Immigration lawyers with ecumenical ministries in Oregon’s legal services, sponsors organized to help refugees, or Soar, competed to submit as many proposals as possible to terminate immigration cases or seek the request for prosecution in Portland Immigration Court.

Caroline van der Harten, program director for Soar Legal Services, said that “additional families have been protected from the threat of imminent deportation” and will now be able to conduct their cases before the US Citizenship and Immigration Services Agency, which is often more favorable, instead of going through the Immigration Court.

Soar increased its legal applications using emergency financing of up to $ 78,280 from Oregon State Bar. Oregon State Bar drew money from money it gets from Oregon Legislature Managing part of a broader universal representation program, which is intended to provide lawyers to immigrants who are subjected to deportation.

Emergency work began December 1st and goes through Friday. From January 24, the group submitted a total of 74 proposals to terminate cases or requests for prosecution – or almost twice as much as before.

Of the latest applications, 20 cases had already been terminated or dismissed from procedures for the immigration court, said Van der Harten. Her staff is waiting for results in the remaining cases.

During Biden administrationProsecutors representing the US government could use the Prosecutor’s Office to release deportation cases – as a way to facilitate the massive immigration court with limited resources – in cases that did not fall under three priorities for enforcement: threat to national security, cross -border security or public security.

Enforcement priorities have changed during Trump administrationwho has promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in American history, which causes some immigrant societies across the country to be at the edge.

According to the emergency project, SOAR Immigration identified lawyers cases within the more than 40,000 cases waiting at Portland Immigration Court that qualify for dismissal or dismissal, said Van der Harten. SOAR IMMIGRATION Lawyers negotiated cases that are eligible for the Prosecutor’s Office directly to the US prosecutors before submitted requests in the immigration court. Proposals to terminate a case at Portland Immigration Court were submitted directly to the immigration judge who handled the case.

Kathryn Mattingly, a spokesman for the Executive Office for Immigration Review, who monitors the Immigration Court, did not respond to a request that sought comment.

SOAR, which has given immigration’s legal representation for over 30 years, developed a defense project in removal in mid -2022 and emergency work is modeled after that initiative. Since the start of the project and does not count the emergency work, the staff has submitted 554 requests for prosecution or proposal to terminate. There are about 19 applications per month in previous months, compared to the 74 that have been submitted in less than two months.

The emergency contract “has enabled us to increase enormously” The number of requests submitted, van der Hartensaid. The group increased staff who are focused on the project and removed archiving fee barriers for people in need.

Of the 554 applications in the previous months, 529 cases were rejected or terminated by the Immigration Court, which allowed them to persecute cases before US citizenship and immigration services, Van der Harten said.

When individuals can seek immigration benefits through that agency, she said, they no longer meet the threat of deportation. These advantages may include asylum, U-songs for victims of crime and a so-called adjustment of status, which may include someone who is undocumented to be permanently legal residence.

Soar’s office gets more than 100 calls every day from people seeking help, with over 25% of conversations from people in deportation procedures, said van der Harten.

— Jesenia Amaro is an investigation reporter with a focus on social issues and color communities. Do you have a news tip related to immigration, deportations or publicly funded programs designed to help immigrants Oregonians? Get in touch, 503-221-4395; [email protected].

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