The great majority of immigrants seeking asylum in the US are allegedly in danger of deportation due to their illegal immigration, and Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan has suggested allocating millions of dollars to provide legal representation to them.
Whitmer has proposed allocating $8 million for the fiscal year 2025 to support immigrants who are requesting asylum in the United States out of fear of persecution back home. The plan has received a positive reception in her state. Even more, according to Capital News Service, it might be “lifesaving.”
“People in need of legal assistance call me every day; they have called every organization in the state,” stated Sabrina Balgamwalla, director of Wayne State University’s Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic. “Due to the fullness of our docket, I must turn them away.”
It appeared that Capital News Service was disappointed to learn that, in Michigan, only 32% of immigration cases had an attorney participating as of December. Without one, the Transitional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University estimates that an applicant’s odds of winning an immigration case are roughly 10%.
According to Elizabeth Orozco-Vasquez, CEO of Freedom House in Detroit, individuals seeking asylum are “twice as likely” to succeed when they have legal representation.
But the leading Republican in the state House claims that most Americans who apply for asylum do so as a last resort to avoid deportation. State Representative Matt Hall of Richland Township stated, “More than 97% of asylum seekers in 2023 filed asylum defensively after they faced deportation, and most asylum claims get denied.”
Deportation is the act of removing “noncitizens” who have broken American immigration law by overstaying their visa, endangering public safety, or committing a crime, according to a federal government website. Stated differently, their presence in the nation appears to be unauthorized.
Hall said, “In Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer is attempting to project toughness while utilizing taxpayer-funded assistance to support these extremely undocumented immigrants.” “She tried to help them with their rent at first, and now she wants to fund lawyers to stop their deportation.”
Reporters questioned Whitmer on Monday over her Newcomer Rental Subsidy program, which offers $500 per month in rental aid to certain asylum-seekers and other “newcomers” for a maximum of 12 months, as well as the funds put forth to support counsel for asylum-seekers. Whitmer answered, “I do not think you should have access [to those programs] if you are here illegally.”
“I am aware that immigration reform is necessary in this nation. There is no doubt about that. Our economy depends on those people, so it is critical that we handle it responsibly,” she said.
“Our state and nation are strongest in that regard.”
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