CIJF Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
After a year of helping immigrants win release from custody, group sets the sight higher
Colorado Immigrant Justice Fund addresses detention without representation
DENVER - Oct. 29, 2021 - A group of immigrant advocates decided a year ago that being pen pals to immigrants in detention was not enough. They chipped in funds to help get immigrants out of custody, and now the Colorado Immigrant Justice Fund (CIJF) is expanding its reach nationally.
Roughly 85% of detained immigrants in this country do not have access to an immigration attorney. Most of them are deported to dangerous countries of origin, not because they don’t have a legal claim to be in the country, but because they lack access to legal counsel.
“Leaving immigrants to fight their cases alone is the rough equivalent of death penalty cases being heard in traffic court settings,” said Greg Mortimer, co-founder of the Colorado Immigrant Justice Fund in reference to the 2014 article on Death penalty cases in court setting. “Only 3 - 5% of immigrants without attorneys win their cases. Immigrants with attorneys are up to 11 times more likely to win their cases, thereby avoiding deportation.”
Over the past year, donations to CIJF have paid for three attorneys to provide legal services for immigrants in six detention centers in Colorado, California and Louisiana. As a result, nine immigrants in Colorado and California were able to win asylum and now live safely in the U.S rather than face deportation.
“The first time I visited an immigrant in detention was in August of 2017. His name was Ronaldo, and he was a frightened, shy, barely-19-year-old young man,” Mortimer continued. Ronaldo had missed a court date that he hadn’t heard about, so ICE officials apprehended him and threw him into immigration prison.
Casa De Paz volunteers who were visiting immigrants and writing them letters received many requests. The systems in place to provide free or low-cost immigrant legal representation could not meet the demand. So the group decided to set up a fund. Now 123 people make monthly donations to the fund.
The CIJF team wants to triple its current monthly donations to $15,000 over the coming year, which will enable it to provide legal fees for more detained immigrants. For more information visit: https://www.coloradoimmigrantjusticefund.org - including the CIJF’s first annual report.
About Colorado Immigrant Justice Fund
The Colorado Immigrant Justice Fund is run by volunteers, with a board that decides where donations can be most effectively used. It supports legal representation for immigrants who are in custody awaiting hearings to determine their ability to remain in the country. More information can be found at ColoradoImmigrantJusticeFund.org.
