Illegal Alien Defenders Mislead on Deportations



Advocates of amnesty for illegal aliens constantly push for measures designed to inhibit deportation. AILA (American Immigration Lawyers Association) also falls into that category. One of the positions that it constantly advocates is for the government to provide legal counsel for aliens in deportation proceedings. Obviously that would be a major revenue enhancement for immigration lawyers because deported aliens generally are in the country illegally and do not have the assets to hire a lawyer.

So, when CNN Money reported on April 13 about the steep costs associated with deporting illegal aliens, it was not surprising that AILA’s advocacy director referred to illegal aliens who never had a chance to argue their case before a judge. That statement is misleading because the deportees he is referring to were given a chance to argue their case before a judge but chose not appear and, as a result, were ordered deported.

The misleading information was supplemented by a University of California at Merced professor Tanya Golash Boza, who told CNN Money that, “They can hire their own lawyer. But unlike U.S. citizens, the government won’t pay for one if they can’t afford it.” That statement is misleading because the government does not provide public defenders in civil cases, only criminal cases, and deportation cases are civil, not criminal.

 

 

About Author

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Jack, who joined FAIR’s National Board of Advisors in 2017, is a retired U.S. diplomat with consular experience. He has testified before the U.S. Congress, U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform and has authored studies of immigration issues. His national and international print, TV, and talk radio experience is extensive (including in Spanish).

15 Comments

  1. avatar

    California Violent Crime Up 50% the Last Decade

    I heard recently that the Mexican Mafia has offices and call girls while incarcerated in the California Prisons.

  2. avatar

    The problems created by do-it-yourself immigration
    would be prevented if immigration reform
    makes the laws much more straightforward.
    We could watch to see what legal defenses
    are offered by lawyers protecting unauthorized foreign nationals.
    Most of these would be unintended loopholes in the law.
    New immigration law could simply eliminate those loopholes.
    Then immigration lawyers would have to tell their potential clients:
    “You have no case.”

  3. avatar

    Actually not quite there .. more like it going into Irak w Fake news n de stabilize the ME n now refugees all over not to mention being behind the solar power industry n electric car since Reagan n back to oil. = Your vote = going backwards…. sound familiar???? Yes you.

      • avatar

        You’re the one stuck in the past. We don’t need more people in this country. Jobs are being automated at a rapid clip and considering that the majority of those jobs are at the lower end, the low educated low skilled workers presently coming in are a burden, because they will use far more in government services and welfare than they will ever pay in taxes.

  4. avatar

    Why let a little fake news get in the way of an agenda? There was another case of this today on Fox with liberal talk show host Leslie Marshall as a guest and she was throwing out that same old line about Obama as the “deporter in chief”, who supposedly deported more illegals than previous presidents. This is constantly repeated by his supporters and the media because they want to portray him as tough on illegals.

    The only problem is that it’s a completely false assertion. Who says? Well, it was Obama himself to a group of Hispanic journalists in October 2011. He called the figures “a little deceptive” and went on to explain “We’ve been apprehending folks at the border and sending them back. That is counted as a deportation even though they may have only been held for a day or 48 hours.”

    Note that? It’s “counted as a deportation” even though it never was before. The true definition of a deportation was someone who was arrested and held in the interior of the country, not a border turnaround. It’s completely bogus. The mainstream media is doing their very best to convince the public not to listen to “alternative” media, but the fact is they have a big credibility problem of their own.

          • avatar

            Are you related to Obama and his figures that are “a little deceptive” according to his own words?

          • avatar

            Actually they are smarter and more rounded politicians without going around the world instigating a War.

          • avatar

            “instigating a war?” You mean like Obama and Hillary armed the anti-Khadaffi rebels which removed him from power and destabilized the whole country and led to the attack on Bhengazi that killed four Americans? Now it’s another failed state that is a hotbed for terrorists.

          • avatar

            Actually not quite there .. more like it going into Irak w Fake news n de stabilize the ME n now refugees all over not to mention being behind the solar power industry n electric car since Reagan n back to oil. = Your vote = going backwards…. sound familiar???? Yes you.