arrived
  • story
  • blog
  • team
  • story
  • blog
  • team

Undocumented immigrants left defenseless in court

7/5/2017

Comments

 
Picture
Many undocumented immigrants facing deportation are being left to fend for themselves. The 6th Amendment gives, among other things, the right to an attorney. However, this applies only to criminal cases, not civil ones. Because deportation lawsuits are civil, those on trial are not guaranteed the legal right to an attorney, which means defendants have to defend themselves without the help and consultation of a lawyer. While there are some defendants who can afford to pay for lawyers, many cannot. There are pro-bono law firms that will help as many people as they can for free, but there are not nearly enough to give legal advice to every defendant. There are also court-appointed lawyers, but their resources often wear-thin. This lack of resources more often than not leaves defendants to fend for themselves. Defendants that have a lawyer are ten times more likely to win their case than those who are self-represented.
 
A study by UCLA Law School found that only 37% of defendants around the nation are represented. In addition, they found that undocumented immigrants held in detention centers were self-represented 86% of the time. Undocumented immigrants who are not being held in detention centers have much more access to advice because they are free to move around and find immigration-advice services. Shockingly, they found that only 2% of self-represented defendants won their cases. Immigration law is incredibly intricate and confusing, and defendants with little to no knowledge on the subject are very disadvantaged when it comes to defending themselves.
 
Our Verdict: The notion that a great majority of undocumented immigrants do not have access to a lawyer is shocking. A defendant who is trying to navigate a system that is ruled by complex laws greatly with minimal information and no advice has greatly diminished chances of a positive verdict. It is appalling that the system is set up in a way where the only option, it seems, is to lose, simply because access to help and advice is so scarce and limited.   
 
-
 
Muchos inmigrantes indocumentados quienes enfrentan la deportación se quedan sin defensa. La 6ta Enmienda da, entre otras cosas, el derecho a un abogado, pero esto solo es aplicable a casos criminales, no casos civiles. Porque los casos de deportación son civiles, los que esperan el juicio no tienen derecho legal a un abogado, y entonces se tienen que defender ellos mismos sin la ayuda de un abogado que tiene un conocimiento de las leyes. Mientras hay acusados quienes pueden pagar para abogados, muchos no pueden. También hay empresas legales “pro bono” cuales defienden a los acusados sin cobrar, pero no hay suficiente para cada persona. Además, hay defensores públicos, pero los recursos se agotan rápidamente. Esto quiere decir que la mayoría de acusados deben representarse ellos mismos. Acusados quienes tienen un abogado son diez veces más probables a ganar su caso comparado con los que se representan a ellos mismos.
 
Un estudio por le Escuela de Derecho de UCLA encontró que 37% de los acusados alrededor del país son representados. Además, encontraron que inmigrantes indocumentados quienes están en lugares de detención se representan 86% del tiempo. Inmigrantes indocumentados quienes no están en lugares de detención tienen mucho más acceso a información porque pueden moverse y buscar lugares de ayuda legal. Asombrosamente, encontraron que solamente 2% de acusados quienes se representan ellos mismos ganaron sus casos. Las leyes de inmigración son increíblemente complicadas y confusas, y acusados con conocimiento limitado tienen una enorme desventaja.  
 
Nuestro Veredicto: La noción que la mayoridad de inmigrantes indocumentados no tiene acceso a un abogado es chocante. La probabilidad de un veredicto positivo de un acusado intentando navegar por un sistema dirigido por leyes sumamente complicadas con información mínima es baja. Es horrible que el sistema está configurado en una manera done la única opción es perder simplemente porque la información y ayuda necesaria es tan limitada. 
Comments
  • story
  • blog
  • team