65A - IMMIGRATION DEFENSE OPTIONS

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Immigration Legal Defense Options May 16, 2017 Page 4 authority may be one way for the City and another government agency, primarily, the County, to join forces to provide legal representation to local residents for immigration proceedings. However, this option would need further discussion, most notably, outreach to the County of Orange if use of County public defenders is contemplated. One example of this type of JPA is the successful Tri -City Mental Health Center, a municipal joint powers authority in Pomona to provide mental health care services for residents of those cities. c) Establish a Central Location for Referral of Services The City of San Jose has an Office of Immigrant Affairs which is housed in the City Manager's Office. The Officer of Immigrant Affairs provides resources and links to resources for community members. The resources include a list of information such as links to lawyers, refugee organizations, legal rights information, and immigration information such as the DREAM Act. The City of Santa Ana could establish a similar office which would compile a list of available resources for individuals in the community and make them available at the office and on the internet. This option would require the City to hire or assign a current City employee to the position of project manager or community liaison. Funding for this position would have to be identified. d) Provide Funding for a Legal Defense Fund The participants in the March 8th meeting all agreed that there is a need for greater coordination to increase the supply of qualified immigration attorneys in Orange County who are willing and available to provide deportation defense to indigent individuals. They advocated for training and leadership classes to develop a pool of competent immigration attorneys and legal staff that can assist the community. The legal practitioners and law school professors also advocated for the creation of a dedicated unit with expertise and capacity for deportation defense; provision of high - quality, holistic representation including funding for interpreters and experts; flexibility to respond to enforcement practices; and eligibility restrictions limited to income only and not criminal record. This vision is akin to the Immigrant Defenders Law Center and /or New York Family Immigrant Unity Project (NYFIUP) programs but would be started from the ground floor in Orange County using those projects as a model. The legal practitioners and law school professors envision a significant monetary contribution from the City of $1 million dollars and from non - profits of $1 million dollars. Given the City's current budget constraints, it may not be the most attainable option unless the funds came solely from non - profits. Furthermore, the issue of whether a screening process for income and criminal background requirements would be used and what that screening process would entail would need to be explored. The cities of New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles have all started legal defense funds. Chicago recently approved a $1.3 million dollar legal defense fund. The money in this fund will be split between two non- profits.9 The City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles 9 http:// bigstory. ap. org / article/ dl28dc5lfD694lef8d327647843b322c/ cities -coun ties - mull - immigrant- legal -fund- after- trumps- win 65A -4