Obama Administration Providing Illegal Immigrants Taxpayer-Funded Lawyers
7th June 2014
On Friday, the Justice Department announced a “justice AmeriCorps” program that will fund nearly 100 lawyers across 29 cities with one-year grants and stipends so they can represent illegal immigrants who have been flooding into the country and being warehoused, most notably in Texas.
“With the launch of justice AmeriCorps, we’re taking a historic step to strengthen our justice system and protect the rights of the most vulnerable members of society,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. “How we treat those in need, particularly young people who must appear in immigration proceedings – many of whom are fleeing violence, persecution, abuse or trafficking – goes to the core of who we are as a nation.”
According to The New York Times, the $2 million grant will be “distributed to nonprofit organizations in 29 cities,” and federal officials expect nearly 10,000 illegal immigrant children to appear in courts in those cities.
Holder also said the program will “reaffirm our allegiance to the values that have always shaped our pursuit of justice” and “empower new generations of aspiring attorneys and paralegals to serve their country and stand on the front lines of this fight.”