Chicago Appleseed - Fund for Justice

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Immigration Court Reform

Chicago Appleseed, along with Appleseed and Latham & Watkins LLP, spearheaded a comprehensive evaluation of the United States' Immigration Court System, resulting in an in-depth report complete with innovative recommendations for crucial reform. Assembly Line Injustice is based on interviews with experts who have actual day-to-day experience in Immigration Courts, setting it apart from previous evaluations.

Research and Advocacy

Based on more than 100 interviews with key practitioners in the immigration court system, as well as more than 100 hours of court observation by trained professionals, Assembly Line Injustice describes the problems encountered everyday by experts in the field. Chief among these problems are: too few judges and clerks; over-reliance on videoconferencing; inadequate access to court records; lack of effective, unbiased translation; and the difficulty of securing representation for immigrants.

Supporting its findings with both anecdotal and statistical evidence, the report lays out many practical solutions, vetted by leading authorities, to these and other issues. In the coming months, Chicago Appleseed, along with its contributing affiliates in Texas and at the national Appleseed office, will advocate for the adoption of the recommendations.

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