EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — An El Paso nonprofit that helps migrants with legal services was notified by the federal government that it needs to terminate two of its programs, starting Tuesday, April 15.
Estrella del Paso said they were notified by the U.S. Department of Justice that it needs to terminate two programs that provide legal access to immigrants facing deportation — the Legal Orientation Program (LOP) and the Immigration Court Helpdesk (ICH).
“These programs help individuals who are facing deportation understand their rights and how their cases will proceed before the El Paso immigration court,” Estrella del Paso said in a statement.
The Justice Department issued a stop work order for both programs on Jan. 22, the organization said.
Estrella del Paso joined partner organizations across the U.S. in filing a federal lawsuit against the government on January 31.
That litigation is still pending in the courts despite an announcement from the DOJ on February 2, that rescinded the stop-work order and restored funding to the critical programs, Estrella del Paso said.
While the stop-work order issued in January was a temporary halt of these critical programs, the termination order is a permanent measure designed to end these programs, the organization said.
The LOP at Estrella del Paso works inside the two immigration detention centers in this area – El Paso Service Processing Center and the Otero County Processing Center in Southern New Mexico – for individuals appearing before the El Paso Detained Immigration Courts, the organization said.
The ICH program provides services at the El Paso Non-Detained Court.
These programs help immigrants know their rights, provide individual orientations, self-help workshops and referrals to attorneys for free representation.
“Since 2003, the Legal Orientation Program has enjoyed bi-partisan congressional support and funding. Every Department of Justice program evaluation demonstrates cost savings for the federal government. Participants of the LOP are well-informed of their rights, the process, and what to expect. This results in their cases being concluded an average of two weeks more quickly than non-participants. The LOP and ICH programs are a lifeline for individuals facing deportation and critical to ensuring immigrants receive due process. The elimination of these programs will force individuals to appear before the local immigration courts uninformed and unsure how to proceed,” said Melissa M. Lopez, executive director of Estrella del Paso.
The decision to terminate these programs comes only weeks after the government cut off legal representation to unaccompanied children, the organization said.
Those funding cuts resulted in the furlough of 18 Estrella del Paso employees who have yet to return to work, Estrella del Paso said.
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