Putting TRAC to Work
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Border Report
January 12, 2022
Bar association seeks free legal counsel for asylum-seekers in fast-tracked deportation proceedings By Sandra Sanchez
	Austin Kocher, a TRAC researcher, told Border Report on Wednesday: “In a forthcoming report, we show that even though the administration has acknowledged the importance of legal representation, only 15% of all cases have representation, so far. Lack of legal representation makes it harder for immigrants to apply for asylum or get a positive outcome.”   As of Dec. 31, the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security have placed 72,289 asylum-seekers into the Dedicated Docket fast-track immigration proceedings, according to new data provided to Border Report by Transactional Access Records Clearinghouse (TRAC) of Syracuse University, which tracks all U.S. immigration cases. The Dedicated Docket fast-track program is operating in immigration courts in 11 U.S. cities. The TRAC report, to be released in upcoming days, found that only a small percentage of migrants placed in the Dedicated Docket is actually getting legal counsel. Austin Kocher, a TRAC researcher, told Border Report on Wednesday: “In a forthcoming report, we show that even though the administration has acknowledged the importance of legal representation, only 15% of all cases have representation, so far. Lack of legal representation makes it harder for immigrants to apply for asylum or get a positive outcome.” External Link
	Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, Syracuse University Copyright 2022