Courts have removed posters offering legal assistance to immigrants, now displaying self-deportation messages. Legal help desks for children have closed, leaving families confused and without support. The Trump administration terminated a $28-million contract with nonprofit organizations providing legal aid, amidst a larger investment of $150 billion in immigration enforcement. As a result, immigrants are fearful of court appearances, and pro bono attorneys are unavailable. Legal service providers have been pushed out, leading to increased arrests and deportations in court settings, as noted by legal advocates.
Moises Morales, a 28-year-old Salvadoran who was appearing Tuesday in the West Los Angeles Immigration Court in the South Bay, said, 'There is no help anywhere.'
The Trump administration ended a $28-million contract with nonprofits that provided an array of legal assistance to thousands of immigrants in California and beyond.
Sara Van Hofwegen, a lawyer overseeing programs for Acacia Center for Justice, stated, 'It doesn't feel like an accident to me that the government kicked out the legal service providers and then started arresting and deporting people in court.'
Lawyers who were paid to provide basic legal information are disappearing from courthouses, making immigrants terrified that going to court will mean deportation.
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