NYC immigrant public defender system breaks ground/ Madeline Boreham 4th Period 2nd week

Curtis Edmund was first introduced to the immigrant issue when a government official came to his home. He agreed to meet with him and upon arrival he was taken into custody.
Edmund is a legal U.S. resident from Trinidad, who has had his green card for the past 10 years.  He is now under consideration for deportation for two misdemeanor theft convictions that occurred during the mid-2000s.

Edmund stated " I have no representation. I don't know nothing about immigration or immigration court. I wasn't expecting this.
When he couldn't afford an attorney, there was a solution. An experimental program gave free legal representation to immigrant New Yorkers. He has now got out on bail, and is now fighting against his removal.
On July 1st The New York City Council gave $4.9 million dollars to fund the program. This program was the first of its kind. It helped show the seriousness of the lack of legal representation in the immigration system. They meet with attorneys from three different organizations, and they build up a case on why as legal immigrants they should not be deported. At first they took on 190 cases, but they are now looking to take on 900 cases this year. With this new program hearings travel smoothly and quickly.

My father was a green card holder for 20 years, up until a few months ago when he became an American Citizen. I asked him about when he first received his green card and he told me that they stressed to him the consequences of breaking the law, and every way it could be taken away. Now this was 20 years ago so I'm sure that Mr. Edmund was informed of these guidelines. He did steal and that was wrong. Now this does not mean he does not deserve an attorney in the court of law. Especially when it involves his life and family.  This new program can really help, and bring a new solution to a big problem in the U.S. These lawyers can help protect the legal rights of immigrants. These people came here legally and they could be sent off easier than mail. Now this is a problem; people who entered the system the right way still don't know the legal backgrounds if they are ever found in the court of law they couldn't prepare themselves or know how to defend themselves. This goes against what this county is built on, fair chances. This new program shows promise, and I think will help organize our messy immigration system.



This article is by Deepti Hajela of Associated Press.
To read more:
http://news.msn.com/us/nyc-immigrant-public-defender-system-breaks-ground