New York, NY—Last week, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) gutted the Recognition and Accreditation program that helps low-income immigrants receive affordable legal representation. All federal staff in the program were reassigned to junior positions within the EOIR Public Resource Program, effective last Monday.
In New York, there are approximately 407 accredited representatives working through 114 recognized organizations across the state. 399 of the 407 representatives will have their accreditation expire before January 2029, and 94 organizations have already expired or will expire before January 2029. At this time, all recognized organizations and accredited representatives may continue to practice and provide services, including anyone with pending renewal applications, but the DOJ’s actions threaten the future of this life-saving program.
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“Every New Yorker deserves due process and equal access to justice. For decades, the Recognition and Accreditation program has been a cornerstone of that promise, ensuring local organizations can provide affordable legal representation that is culturally and linguistically accessible for immigrants who would otherwise be shut out of the system and on track to deportation. The Trump administration’s quiet dismantling of this program is a reckless and calculated attack on access to justice and people’s opportunity at freedom in their day of court. By gutting the office that oversees legal accreditation, the Trump administration has paralyzed a system that thousands of New Yorkers depend on. Immigrant New Yorkers will lose access to legal services, at a time when so many are already facing escalating enforcement from rogue ICE agents. The federal government must immediately reverse course, reinstate the staff needed to operate the program and guarantee uninterrupted access to legal services for our communities.”
Background: The Recognition and Accreditation Program was established in 1958 under the Department of Justice to increase the number of qualified immigration legal representatives available. The program allows non-attorneys who have received the required training and experience in immigration law to receive credentials from the DOJ as Accredited Representatives and represent clients in their immigration matters.