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OI:IMIS <br />December 9 Due Date: Applicants must submit proposals via email to <br />SAFE(aJvera.ore by 11:59 PM PST. <br />Scope of Work and Program Requirements <br />The Vera Institute of Justice is soliciting proposals from nonprofit LSPs on behalf of the City of Santa Ana <br />to provide direct legal representation to indigent detained immigrants facing removal, who are residents <br />of Santa Ana or were prior to detention, and are facing removal proceedings. The funds will be <br />prioritized toward Santa Ana residents who are in immigration detention. To be eligible for <br />representation under the $180,000 in funds, an individual must at the time of the initiation of <br />representation: <br />1. Earn 200 percent or less of federal poverty guidelines, <br />2. Be unrepresented by counsel; and <br />3. Bea resident of Santa Ana immediately prior to detention by ICE (priority will be given to <br />residents who are detained). <br />Representation under this program will be provided under the universal representation model --that is, <br />representation is offered to as many clients as the funding allows who meet the requirements specified <br />above, without conducting a preliminary assessment of the merits of the case. The LSP will propose a <br />plan for intaking clients and offering representation under this model. <br />The LSP will provide representation at all stages of immigration court proceedings, including master <br />calendar hearings, bond proceedings, competency hearings, merits hearings, state courts for SIJ <br />predicate orders as applicable, USCIS applications and proceedings related to being granted relief from <br />removal, and BIA appeals (hereafter referred to as "the scope of representation"). <br />Additional representation services for post -conviction relief, federal habeas corpus, or post-BIA appeals <br />are not mandated by this contract, but are encouraged when merited by the issues involved. <br />Representation initiated under this funding must be continued through the disposition of the case, <br />including those cases that will be completed after the contract period. <br />Legal Service Provider Requirements <br />Proposals may be submitted by individual nonprofit LSP or by a collaborative of LSPs/private firms. <br />Eligible applicants must meet the following minimum qualifications: <br />• Be a nonprofit organization with a 501(c)3 status, or have a fiscal sponsor with a 501(c)3 status, <br />or be a collaborative of nonprofit LSPs and private firms, <br />• Demonstrate a strong record of providing high -quality legal representation to detained <br />immigrants and/or immigrants facing removal, <br />• Have licensed attorneys with immigration law expertise on staff or under contract who will <br />directly provide the services described in this RFP, <br />• Demonstrate that all professionals (attorneys, accredited representatives, social workers, etc.) <br />involved in providing services under the contract have the appropriate professional licenses and <br />are in good standing professionally, <br />• Demonstrate the ability to consult with and represent clients in area detention facilities, <br />251-5 <br />