(The Center Square) – In its growing battle with the Trump administration over the rights of illegal immigrants, the Wilson administration has doubled to $1.2 million, the money it will pay for lawyers to represent ICE detainees fighting deportation orders.
The $1.2 million is part of a broader $4 million increase to the city’s Office of Immigration and Refugee Affairs this year aimed at not only helping immigrants fight ICE, but to gain citizenship, obtain employment and adjust to life in Seattle.
The office receives around $10 million a year in city funding.
Seattle is one of a group of cities in the U.S including New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, that help pay for lawyers representing immigrants.
Unlike criminal defendants, illegal immigrants facing deportation have no constitutionally guaranteed right to an attorney. Conservative groups have contended that cities like Seattle are overstepping their bounds by providing representation.
Paul Guppy, senior researcher at the Washington Policy Center, a conservative leading think tank, said the Seattle policy to represent illegal immigrants comes at the expense of legal defendants.
He said while Seattle is providing legal representation for immigrants, other groups like poor criminal defendants have had difficulty in the past securing adequate legal representation because of a lack of public defenders.
He said Seattle officials have made a policy decision “to choose one group over another.”
No right to attorney
Cuc Vu, acting director of the city office of Immigration and Refugee Affairs, told the city council’s Libraries, Educations and Neighborhoods Committee last week that increasing the budget to pay for immigrant lawyers was particularly important.
She said research has shown that around 60% of Seattle residents involved in cases in immigration court don’t have representation.
The $4 million in new funding for immigration aid was actually part of an initiative last year by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s predecessor Bruce Harrell.
But Wilson has been quick to take a stance against federal immigration authorities, announcing an executive order on January 29 that prohibits ICE staging or enforcement action on city owned property and ordering signs telling ICE to stay away.
Seattle police officers were also ordered to video tape ICE enforcement actions.
ICE officials didn’t return requests for comment yesterday but U.S Justice Department officials had previously told the Center Square on February 26 that the department “will not tolerate the obstruction of lawful efforts to enforce federal immigration law and has sued several jurisdictions over sanctuary policies that put the American people at risk.
“The department will continue to bring litigation against willful offenders and work overtime to ensure those harmful policies are eradicated across the country,” the statement also said.
More money requested
No legal action has been taken against Seattle.
Vu said in her testimony last week that overall the additional $4 million in city funds was needed to counter federal policy changes that have made it more difficult for immigrants.
“New barriers have prevented immigrants in Seattle from accessing things that were not so hard before, such as getting work permits or applying for asylum, or applying for a green card, becoming a U.S. citizen and other benefits that come with immigrant and refugee status,” she said.
Henry Hwang, a directing attorney with the Northwest Immigrants Rights Project, said more funding from the city would be extremely helpful in representing immigrants facing deportation. He said the project represented 300 clients last year with funding from the city.
“There is a critical need,” he said, adding the number of ICE detainees from Seattle has been on the rise.
