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Orozco, Norma <br />From: Chelsea Bell <CBell@lmmDef.org> <br />Sent: Monday, July 06, 2020 3:30 PM <br />To: eComment <br />Subject: Fully Fund The Deportation Defense Program <br />Good afternoon honorable City Councilmembers of Santa Ana, <br />My name is Chelsea Bell with the Immigrant Defenders Law Center. I am submitting a public comment for <br />agenda item 65B in support of the renewal of the Deportation Defense Fund at its current level of <br />$200,000. Please, continue providing protection to Santa Ana residents facing detention and deportation. <br />I currently represent several clients who are funded through the Santa Ana Deportation Defense Fund and can <br />see first hand what a difference it makes to provide an attorney to someone facing deportation. It not only <br />supports the individual in detention, but it also is a crucial form of support for their family and larger <br />community. When someone is detained and unexpectedly taken away from their life one day — their family, <br />coworkers, friends, and neighbors are left to pick up the pieces. One of my Santa Ana clients just won his <br />immigration case last week. He has been an LPR and living in the United States for 31 years. His three <br />children were all born in Santa Ana and currently reside there with their own families. When my client was <br />detained and suddenly unable to financially contribute to him and his partners' costs, every person in his family <br />was impacted and had to struggle to support their mom during the difficult time. This of course was made even <br />more difficult by the fact that COVID-19 had reduced several of their job schedules and consequently <br />incomes. When my client won his case, he was released to his son's home, because he and his partner had lost <br />their housing during his 9 month detention. Everyone in his family lives and works in Orange County. If he <br />had been deported, at least 12 Santa Ana residents would have been directly impacted. If he had not been <br />represented he would have had less than a 5% chance of winning his case, not because he had a bad case, but <br />because our immigration court system is so dysfunctional that on average 96.5% of people without lawyers lose <br />their immigration cases. <br />I also represent clients under the Los Angeles Justice Fund and when I meet with LA City Council Members <br />and LA County Board of Supervisors to discuss continued funding ofLAJF, we always point to the progressive <br />leadership of Santa Ana's City Council in funding your Deportation Defense Fund. Your actions to support the <br />members of the Santa Ana community facing deportation, has directly influenced other counties to do the same <br />and follow your lead. Please continue to stand on the right side of history and fund attorneys in immigration <br />court — it is truly shocking that in 2020, California still does not have a universal representation program in <br />immigration courts the way that we do in our criminal courts, when New York has one state-wide with an <br />arguably larger immigration system. Deportation is a lifetime ban from seeing your family — that is a <br />punishment so severe that an attorney absolutely should be provided to each person facing it. <br />Thank you, <br />Chelsea Bell I Staff Attorney <br />Pronouns: ellaYshe/her <br />Immigrant Defenders Law Center <br />634 S. Spring Street, loth Floor <br />Los Angeles, CA 90014 <br />Tel:(213) 319-7409 <br />