06.10.09 Assembly Line Injustice: Chicago Appleseed Tackles Problems in Immigration Court
Assembly Line Injustice
Chicago Appleseed Tackles Problems in Immigration Court
Chicago Appleseed and Appleseed today released a groundbreaking assessment of the Immigration Court system, presenting a comprehensive slate of recommendations to redress problems at all stages of the adjudicatory process: from court proceedings and staffing, to representation, recordkeeping and even translation.
"If adopted, our recommendations will bring the Immigration Courts more into line with American notions of justice," said Appleseed Executive Director Betsy Cavendish. "Our aim is to ensure fairness and impartiality in a system that wields such life-altering power over the lives of immigrants."
Based on more than 100 interviews with key practitioners in the immigration court system, as well as more than 100 hours of court observation by trained professionals, Assembly Line Injustice describes the problems encountered everyday by experts in the field. Chief among these problems are: too few judges and clerks; over-reliance on videoconferencing; inadequate access to court records; lack of effective, unbiased translation; and the difficulty of securing representation for immigrants.
Supporting its findings with both anecdotal and statistical evidence, the report lays out many practical solutions, vetted by leading authorities, to these and other issues. In the coming months, Chicago Appleseed, along with its contributing affiliates in Texas and at the national Appleseed office, will advocate for the adoption of the recommendations.
Assembly Line Injustice is the result of 15 months of research by Chicago Appleseed's pro bono partners at Latham & Watkins LLP and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.
Link...