copyright © 2005 Damion Edwards

Maribel has been a U.S. citizen since she was a teenager, but she was still detained and almost deported by the federal government.  Maribel called IDP’s hotline for emergency assistance after an Immigration Judge decided she was not a citizen and ordered her removed (deported) for her one and only conviction.  IDP recruited the law firm of WilmerHale to represent Maribel.  On the eve of her deportation, Wilmer Associate Shoshana Gillers filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the removal order on the grounds that Maribel had derived U.S. citizenship from her mother, and therefore could not be deported.  In 2004, Maribel prevailed in her claim of citizenship and no longer faces deportation and separation from her daughter.

IDP’s Detainee Defense Initiative

Immigrants in deportation proceedings do not receive assigned counsel to defend them.  As a result, approximately ninety percent of detained immigrants face their deportation charges unrepresented.

IDP recruits pro bono counsel to provide legal assistance to immigrants detained or at risk of detention by the Department of Homeland Security (formerly Immigration & Naturalization Service) and to engage in strategic impact litigation to push for positive changes in the interpretation of immigration law. IDP also works to increase immigrant access to legal information by developing and distributing Know Your Rights/Self-Help materials that enable immigrants to better represent themselves.