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delaying cases into 2023. As a result, non -detained intakes have slowed down because potential clients are not seeking representation for court dates so far into the future. The lives of clients detained at Adelanto are at stake due to repeated COVID-19 outbreaks at the facility —likely exacerbated by a lack of testing and proper health care, the inability to social distance in crowded dorms, and no or limited personal protective equipment and soap.' In response, ImmDef has spent considerable time and resources trying to get clients out of detention. ImmDef attorneys have limited access to their clients due to COVID-19 restrictions at Adelanto, often preventing them from meeting with their clients in person, and instead forcing them communicate with them by phone, if at all, despite clients sometimes lacking confidential phone access for weeks on end. II. SAFE by the Numbers The statistics in this report cover clients represented under Santa Ana SAFE program from February 1, 2018 (the beginning of data collection in Santa Ana) to February 28, 2021. These statistics should be considered preliminary, based on just three years of data and a limited sample size. Leveling the playing field By advancing the universal representation model, the city of Santa Ana and ImmDef help to ensure that everyone has an equal chance of being represented by an attorney, regardless of their background. > Since the inception of the SAFE program in Santa Ana, ImmDef has represented 46 clients with Santa Ana residency, helping to level the playing field for immigrants who otherwise would have gone to court alone. > The 46 clients represented in Santa Ana hail from four countries —primarily Mexico (70 percent), as well as El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Universal representation helps ensure that people from diverse backgrounds are equally eligible for representation and given the opportunity to have a fair day in court. Santa Ana clients as community members SAFE clients and their families are part of the fabric of Santa Ana communities. Representation through SAFE has radiating impacts that extend beyond those directly represented. > Like the nationwide trend in the SAFE Initiative, the 46 clients represented in Santa Ana have had longstanding ties to the United States.' On average, clients have lived in the country for 12 years; 22 percent of clients have been U.S. residents for over 20 years. > Many clients first came to the United States as children or young adults. Sixty-five percent of clients arrived before their 251h birthday and 49 percent arrived when they were 18 or younger. > Almost half (46 percent) of Santa Ana's SAFE clients are parents. Collectively, Santa Ana clients are parents to 53 children under the age of 18 living in the United States, most all of whom are U.S. citizens (60 percent). > Forty-seven percent of clients with families are the "breadwinners," responsible for at least half of theirfamily's income. The road to freedom Representation through the SAFE program in Santa Ana helps people secure release from detention and reunite with their families and communities. > Since the inception of the program, 32 percent of clients whose cases began in detention were released from custody, either on bond or at the conclusion of their legal cases. Because some people Vera Center on Immigration+Justice