DETAINED DEPORTATION
DEFENSE PROGRAM
our Detained Deportation Defense program (ddp) is an abolition-oriented direct service provider representing non-citizens detained in the El Paso area.
Guided by the principle of radical accompaniment, we use know your rights materials, pro se support, and vigorous direct representation to help as many people as possible get out of detention and win their cases. We also work in coalition with organizations around the region and around the country to connect our work and our clients’ experiences to broader systems change.
our work
The ddp serves detained migrants in West Texas and southern New Mexico, and includes the El Paso Processing Center and Otero Service Center.
All of our deportation defense services are provided for free and are bolstered by a myriad of undergraduate and law student volunteers who assist us with screening vulnerable individuals trapped in federal immigration detention.
Our DDP is uniquely positioned among New Mexico’s immigration legal service providers to work for persons in ICE detention. All ICE facilities in New Mexico are directed by the El Paso Field Office, and are served by immigration courts in El Paso or Otero.
This makes our direct legal service program a necessary lifeline and critical component of due process for persons in detention in southern New Mexico and El Paso.
our impact
In 2022, this team provided 332 total legal services to 318 unique individuals. This included hundreds of credible fear interview preparation sessions and direct representation for dozens of detained immigrants – securing release for more than half of these individuals.
Through the DDP program, clients are able to obtain:
Credible Fear Interview (CFI) Prep
Pro Se support:
I-589 Application for Asylum and Withholding of Removal
Individual Hearing Prep
Translations
Support for release on bond or parole
Merits (Asylum)
Appeals
Formal complaints regarding conditions and treatment
ENSURING DUE PROCESS FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS: LAS AMERICAS’ CREDIBLE FEAR INTERVIEW ORIENTATION PROJECT
a new report by las americas immigrant advocacy center aims to address the challenges asylum seekers face in expedited removal proceedings. the report's findings strongly advocate for the need for early intervention by legal advocates to ensure that individuals in detention have a fair chance of presenting their cases in credible fear interviews and court proceedings.
pro-bono program
As part of pro-bono volunteer program, the DDP offers a Credible Fear Interview preparation program and provides educational opportunities to attorneys and paralegals.