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Santa Ana residents helped by the Fund so far are deeply entrenched members of our workplaces <br />and communities, having lived in the U.S. for an average of 10 years. Many also grew up in Santa <br />Ana. They are parents to 41 children under the age of 18 living, most of whom are U.S. citizens. <br />Well over half of those with families are responsible for at least half of their family's income. <br />Santa Ana's Deportation Defense Fund helps stabilize families, our communities, and the economy <br />during this uncertain time. (See Restoring Due Process in Santa Ana: SAFE Network Report <br />(February 1, 2018 — March 31, 2020.) <br />In addition, the public overwhelmingly supports government -funded lawyers for people facing <br />deportation. Recent polling in Santa Ana by Vera found that 79 percent of respondents <br />supported government -funded lawyers for immigrants facing deportation. This report is <br />consistent with a recent national poll that similarly found that nearly 9 in 10 people in the United <br />States (87 percent) support government -funded attorneys for people in immigration court. <br />During the COVID-19 pandemic, the City and County of Los Angeles both proposed public <br />funding for the Los Angeles Justice Fund, a deportation defense fund, in their respective <br />recommended FY21 budgets. Likewise, the State of New York last month moved forward in <br />sustaining funding for immigrant legal services, including deportation defense, in the enacted <br />FY21 state budget. In addition, Washington, D.C. Mayor Bowser has proposed continued funding <br />of immigration legal services, including deportation defense; Boston Mayor Walsh proposed <br />expanding public funding for the City's Immigrant Defense Fund; and the City of Baltimore <br />proposed continued funding of its deportation defense program for FY21. <br />Such funding ensures that vulnerable neighbors are not left behind when support is needed the <br />most. As you finalize the City's FY21 budget during this very challenging time, we strongly urge <br />you to include $200,000 funding for the Santa Ana Deportation Defense Fund. <br />Thank you for your attention and your consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any <br />questions. <br />Sincerely, <br />Katherine Traverse, Esq. <br />Senior Program Associate <br />Vera Institute of Justice <br />KTraverso@vera.ore <br />(917)817-1316 <br />