Name: Harris County OKs $2.5M to help poor immigrants fight deportations
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Harris County OKs $2.5M to help poor immigrants fight deportations

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Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved $2 million for a taxpayer-funded legal services program for poor immigrants facing deportation, as well as $500,000 to assist those who are crime victims secure special visas reserved for that purpose.The court voted 3-2 along party lines, with the Democrats in support, to fund the program the group approved in February. The goal is to end the practice of indigent immigrants representing themselves in deportation proceedings, which a county memo said results in defendants being removed from the country when they often have a legal right to remain.“When you have a family at a deportation hearing and they don’t have an attorney, they’re deported at a much higher rate, like 90 percent of the time, compared to like 5 percent of the time when they do have an attorney,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who proposed the program.The two Republican commissioners, Jack Cagle and Steve Radack, opposed the deportation defense fund. They argued that Harris County should not get involved in federal immigration issues.More for you“Although I’m very supportive of the nonprofits and the work they’ve done on this area, this is not the purview of county government and county taxpayer dollars,” Cagle said.The pair did join the Democrats in supporting $500,000 to help immigrant crime victims, though the majority rejected a proposal by Cagle to shift some of that money to a similar program in the district attorney’s office.The Houston area, which has about 500,000 people in the country illegally, had been the largest in the country without an immigration defense fund. Austin, Dallas and San Antonio have similar programs.Democratic Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said he received a call Monday evening from a friend seeking help for a University of Houston student who had been detained by immigration officials. Residents facing potential deportation should not need well-connected contacts to receive assistance, Garcia said.“It shouldn’t be this hard,” Garcia said. “I’m very excited to put this item forward.”More than a dozen residents and groups urged the court Tuesday to approve the program. Ana Gonzalez of Mi Familia Vota said her parents spent a significant amount in legal fees helping her gain citizenship when she was 21 after arriving in the United States 18 years earlier.“While my future is bright because of the countless sacrifices on my parents’ behalf, many immigrants live their lives without any hope in the system,” Gonzalez said. “Legal proceedings are often difficult and costly, making it difficult to commit to the process.”Daniel Horwitz of Congregation Beth Yeshurun said European Jews like his grandparents became productive Americans after being allowed to immigrate to the U.S. before the Holocaust. He said helping modern, hardworking immigrants achieve legal status is a wise investment for local government to make.“I believe they’ll make a contribution to our society,” Horwitz said. “These immigrants deserve to be represented in court.”Just over $2 million will go to the deportation fund, which also will pay for an employee within the Community Services Department to oversee the program. The county originally had estimated the program would cost $500,000. It will be paid for out of the tax-supported general fund.The county also applied for membership in a network of immigrant defense funds run by the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Vera Institute for Justice.Courtney Lee, an attorney with the group, described the network as a public defender system for immigrants.“We know that the deportation and detention machinery in this country destroys families and communities, contributes to the spread of COVID and deepens racial injustices without accountability,” Lee said. “Universal representation … brings justice and fairness to an otherwise cruel and unjust process.”Garcia proposed the $500,000 to help immigrants secure visas created to help crime victims. These include U visas, which are reserved for victims of certain crimes, such as trafficking, prostitution and assault. T visas can help immigrants who are victims of trafficking remain in the country for up to four years. Both require immigrants to assist with law enforcement investigations.Those visas are crucial avenues for temporary legal status because undocumented crime victims often are afraid to call police out of a fear of getting themselves in trouble, said Guadalupe Fernandez of the Tahirih Justice Center.“Abusers use victims’ lack of immigration status as a tactic of abuse, maintaining power and control by reinforcing fears of deportation,” Fernandez said.Even with assistance, however, U and T visas can take three to five years to secure, said Andrea Guttin of the Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative.zach.despart@chron.comtwitter.com/zachdespart

Harris County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved $2 million for a taxpayer-funded legal services program for poor immigrants facing deportation, as well as $500,000 to assist those who are crime victims secure special visas reserved for that purpose.The court voted 3-2 along party lines, with the Democrats in support, to fund the program the group approved in February. The goal is to end the practice of indigent immigrants representing themselves in deportation proceedings, which a county memo said results in defendants being removed from the country when they often have a legal right...

Harris County OKs $2.5M to help poor immigrants fight deportations

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