The American Council of Immigration does not approve or oppose candidates for elected offices. We aim to provide an analysis of the impact of elections on the US immigration system.
On March 22, the Trump administration issued a memo, directing the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to take disciplinary and punitive actions against lawyers practicing in our national courts. The memo is broad, but it specifically aims to be immigration lawyers, biblical lawyers representing asylum seekers in immigration courts, and organizations challenging immigration policies in federal courts (such as the American Council of Immigration).
The memo accuses client of intentionally lying in court, guiding clients to “avoid” our laws. It would build the tragic death of an individual like Laken Riley at the feet of an immigration lawyer, suggesting that we are diverting resources from law enforcement agencies that would otherwise have protected her. In addition to being objectively absurd, these attacks only ensure that immigration lawyers commit more to their clients and that they get a day in court.
As a basis for the attack on lawyers, the memo cites general rules of professional liability and the procedures rules that lawyers must already follow. Attorneys are prohibited from knowingly filing false or frivolous claims in both immigration and federal courts. There are already rules that allow judges or other entities to sanction their lawyers. This prevents them from taking away their lawyer’s license or allowing them to continue to represent their immigration court clients. The memo does not create new rules, but it directs parts of the federal government to investigate lawyers and lays the foundation for what could be a threatening campaign aimed at experts representing some of the legal system’s most vulnerable clients.
The March 22 memo is among several others that targeted law firms that challenged the current or previous Trump administration in a variety of ways. The unprecedented use of executive power led the White House to strip security clearance, limit government contracts, and otherwise interfere with several law firms. Of particular interest appears to be the law firms involved in one of the many investigations into Trump’s fraud. This includes the companies involved in Mueller’s investigation, as well as Perkins Koy, who represents Hillary Clinton and other Democratic groups. Artistic entities.
This is not the first time the Trump administration has sought to become an immigration lawyer. In 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Justice Department’s Attorney General, who is responsible for disciplinary procedures against immigration courts and immigration lawyers, later declared “dirty immigration lawyers” who are betting on the system. In 2019, leaked documents from the federal government listed 59 people, including several immigration lawyers, as those whose passports should be flagged for investigation if they attempted to cross a tropical border. Several immigration lawyers were detained and questioned. Meanwhile, volunteer lawyers from our immigration judge campaign exploded into a pool of around 8,000 people.
Lawyers representing asylum seekers in immigration courts and challenging government misconduct are important to maintain proper procedures and fairness in the immigration system. And, as it did in the first Trump administration, the U.S. Immigration Council continues its key work in the litigation team and the immigration judge campaign. Just as your lawyer loves to say, we will meet you in court.
If you are committed to our mission to provide free representation to immigrants who are otherwise not represented, we need you in the immigration judge campaign. Learn how to volunteer as a lawyer, interpreter, or translator.
Submitted below: Trump administration
