Just days after issuing a stop-work order that halted key programs providing legal guidance to individuals facing deportation, the U.S. Justice Department has reversed its decision and restored funding to the initiatives. The move comes in response to a lawsuit filed by nonprofit organizations challenging the abrupt halt to services that help immigrants navigate the complex legal system.
The federally funded programs, including the Legal Orientation Program and the Immigration Court Helpdesk, serve individuals in immigration courts and detention centers, offering crucial information about their rights and legal options. The stop-work order, issued on Jan. 22 under an executive directive on illegal immigration, had forced legal aid organizations to scale back or suspend services, leaving many immigrants without support.
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Advocates warned that without these programs, individuals unfamiliar with the legal process would struggle to present their cases effectively, potentially leading to wrongful deportations. Immigration courts, already burdened with a backlog of 3.7 million cases, also risked further delays as judges would have to spend more time explaining procedures to those without legal assistance.
Despite the funding cut, some nonprofit staff attempted to continue providing services. At a Virginia detention center, representatives from the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights managed to assist two dozen individuals before being escorted out. In Detroit, legal aid workers were forced to post signs notifying people that their help desk was no longer operational.
The programs have long enjoyed bipartisan support, with Congress allocating $29 million annually to sustain them. Similar efforts to defund them in 2018 under the Trump administration were reversed following legal challenges and congressional pushback. This time, the halt was more abrupt, with nonprofits given little notice before being barred from providing aid.
For individuals like Milagro, a 69-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker, the temporary suspension of services created uncertainty and distress. She had relied on legal aid in El Paso to navigate her asylum case but found the help desk closed after the stop-work order. The shutdown left her feeling helpless and facing potential financial strain to secure legal assistance.
With the Justice Department’s reversal, legal advocates can now resume their critical work, ensuring that individuals in the immigration system have access to legal information, resources, and due process protections.
