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Data indicate a huge difference for people who come to court with legal representation: According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a majority of asylum seekers with legal representation were granted asylum in the 2010 fiscal year, while only 11 percent of those without attorneys were granted asylum. The pattern repeats itself for unaccompanied children: Government data released in 2015 show that 69 percent of child migrants with legal counsel had removal proceedings terminated or closed, compared with 7 percent of children without lawyers.
These children and their parents should be treated as an exceptionally vulnerable population. They should not be removed without confirmation that they had legal representation, adequate time and notice for preparation, and a full, objective and timely hearing. Deportation without due process is not a humane response for these parents and children, nor is it an effective deterrent.
To deport children and families to the violence they fled, without confirming the due process and protection we all cherish, is un-American.
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