Immigrants in Court Proceedings Will Have Even Less Access to Legal Counsel, After New Announcement

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2025—On Friday, the Trump Administration issued a memo that places new, unnecessary, and unwarranted scrutiny by ordering sanctions, reviews, and stricter oversight of attorneys in immigration and federal court.

With the rise in rapid deportations with no due process and the use of other federal agencies to track down noncitizens, attorneys are needed more than ever.

The following statement is from Rebekah Wolf, Director of the American Immigration Council’s Immigration Justice Campaign: 

“The research is clear – the most effective way to ensure some level of due process for people navigating our broken and complicated immigration system is for them to do so with the help of a trained attorney at their side. But most noncitizens are already forced to go it alone, and the Trump administration is now working to strip attorneys from as many people as possible, all in the name of increasing its deportation numbers.

The administration’s latest move is clearly intended to further stack the decks against vulnerable individuals and families and allow the administration to use our immigration enforcement apparatus to destroy lives and communities with impunity. Instead, we should focus on creating a system that resolves cases quickly while also maintaining fairness, due process, and meaningful accountability for all parts of the system.

People in immigration court proceedings deserve representation as they navigate a complex legal system with life-altering consequences. Pro bono volunteers do this work at no cost to fill the dire need for legal representation in this underserved system. This memo is an attempt to scare and punish attorneys and volunteers from helping immigrants present their cases. This attempt to eliminate basic due process will hurt people who already have few options.

This memo is not only deceiving, it is incredibly dangerous. Access to legal counsel is an essential part of our justice system and our democracy.”

Read our Access to Counsel in Immigration Court report here.

The American Immigration Council has many subject matter experts available to answer questions.

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For more information, contact:

Elyssa Pachico at the American Immigration Council, [email protected].