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are subject to mandatory detention —meaning they are not eligible for bond and must remain in detention while removal proceedings are pending against them —this statistic should be viewed in that context and could never be 100 percent. > People in immigration court face steep costs to obtain release from custody, even if granted bond. For Santa Ana clients granted bond, the average bond amount was $7750, although bonds were set as high as $10000. On average, ImmDef clients were asked to pay 28 percent of their annual household incomes in exchange for the right to fight their cases from outside of custody.' > Attorneys help clients receive lower bonds. Among Santa Ana clients who were granted bond, all were either granted a bond when one had not originally been set or were granted a lower bond amount after the attorney's intervention. > Attorneys support continued appearance in immigration court. All Santa Ana clients released from custody have continued to appear for their scheduled court hearings, underscoring the senselessness of civil detention, particularly for those who have legal counsel. By contrast, those without counsel to help them navigate the process are far less likely to appear in court.' The impact of due process on case outcomes Representation ensures that clients have a chance to advance a defense and that an immigration judge can evaluate the merits of their cases. > Over the course of the program, 24 percent of Santa Ana SAFE client cases have completed in immigration court. Although the immigration court backlog has now surpassed one million cases nationwide, cases involving people who are detained move more quickly. if attorneys do not intervene quickly, cases could end with people being deported without any opportunity for legal access. > Half of clients (52 percent) have pursued some legal defense against deportation through motions or applications. Many of these cases remain pending. Other clients have either opted to pursue voluntary departure or accept an order of removal or may be preparing applications that have not yet been filed. Of those clients who are pursuing some legal defense, most (67 percent) are pursuing protection -based claims such as asylum. > It is too soon to meaningfully estimate outcomes for all of Santa Ana's SAFE clients. To date, 36 percent of the cases completed in immigration court (4 of 11) have achieved outcomes that allow the client to remain in the United States. These outcomes should not be considered representative of all SAFE Santa Ana cases given the very small number of cases that have completed thus far and the fact that cases involving the pursuit of legal relief typically take longer to complete. > Attorneys matter even when clients are unable to remain in the United States. In Santa Ana, five clients accepted voluntary departure. Although voluntary departure does not allow for clients to remain in the country, it is a more favorable outcome than receiving a removal order because it does not carry the same penalties and leaves opportunities for the client to more easily return to the United States lawfully in the future. The Santa Ana SAFE clients who accepted voluntary departure determined that it was preferable to fighting their cases after an informed conversation with their attorney regarding the options available to them. > Although it is too soon to estimate the "win" rate for all Santa Ana clients, these preliminary outcomes surpass those of unrepresented people at the Adelanto Immigration Court that serves Santa Ana clients, where only 3 percent achieve outcomes allowing them to remain in the United States.10 Vera Center on Immigration+Justice