ACLU of Colorado Staff Attorney Arash Jahanian sits down with Mekela Goehring, Executive Director of RMIAN, to discuss the consequences of ending the program and the most important things immigration detainees and their families should know.

U.S. Representative Jared Polis, 2nd District of Colorado, signed on to a letter urging the Attorney General and the Department of Justice to reverse its decision to end the Legal Orientation Program (LOP).

Denver city officials have asked U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to reverse the Justice Department’s decision to suspend a legal-advisement program for detained immigrants while it undergoes a cost-effectiveness audit.

Photo: Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

Mayor Michael B. Hancock and members of City Council have submitted a letter to the Department of Justice urging Attorney General Jeff Sessions to continue the Legal Orientation Program (LOP), a program the department plans to halt starting April 30, 2018. The LOP, which educates detained immigrants about their rights and provides essential information, counseling, and other services, is critical to helping immigrants make informed decisions about their cases.

Former RMIAN client, Alvaro (pictured above), was in detention five years ago after entering the country as a human trafficking victim from Mexico. Because of legal aid he received, he was able to fight his case and obtain a green card. He now works construction in Denver. Colorado Public Radio talks to Alvaro and RMIAN staff members about the Department of Justice's decision to suspend funding for the Legal Orientation Program (LOP).

Effective April 30, the Department of Justice is suspending funding for know-your-rights trainings at immigrant detention centers, including at Colorado’s sole detention center, in Aurora. Run by the private prison company GEO Group, the facility can house up to 1,500 detainees going through immigration proceedings.

Yesterday the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) learned that the Department of Justice is ending funding for the Legal Orientation Program (LOP), effective April 30, 2018.  The Legal Orientation Program provides essential legal information to individuals in civil immigration detention who are navigating complex immigration deportation proceedings, including here in Colorado. 

Managing Attorney of RMIAN's Children's Program, Ashley Harrington, will be providing various presentations throughout the month of April about legal services for immigrant youth. See the enclosed information if you would like to attend any of the trainings or presentations.

RMIAN Executive Director, Mekela Goehring, writes for The Colorado Lawyer's April 2018 issue. This piece is part of the Access to Justice Series, which explores the access to justice gap in Colorado. Contributions were made by Phil Barber, an attorney in Denver and longtime pro bono attorney with RMIAN.

RMIAN's Executive Director Mekela Goehring participated in a Facebook Live event on immigration on March 20, 2018, led by Mayor Hancock, and joined by panelists Jamie Torres (City of Denver), Juan Gallegos (CIRC), and Kit Taintor (State Refugee Coordinator). The group discussed the City's new Immigrant Legal Services Fund.

Mayor Michael B. Hancock, Denver City Council, and members of the Denver community today launched the Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund to provide access to legal representation for qualified individuals threatened with or in removal proceedings and individuals seeking affirmative relief - including DACA or DREAM Act-related relief.

Please join attorneys from RMIAN and National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) trainer Tom Swett to learn how to best ensure justice for detained immigrants in Colorado.

University of Colorado Law School honors RMIAN Executive Director, Mekela Goehring, with Dean's Choice - Dean Edward C. King Making a Difference Award.

The Immigration Justice Campaign recently launched a new website filled with terrific information, resources, and volunteer opportunities. RMIAN is proud to be a partner in this initiative that increases access to counsel for immigrants held in detention in Colorado.

RMIAN's Social Service Project Director Megan Hope is a panelist on immigration detention and labor trafficking at the Freedom Network Conference in Denver, CO on April 4-5, 2018.

Register for AILA's free webinar on nuts and bolts of habeas and how to use it to challenge immigration detention. This webinar is a five-part series, presented by AILA's Federal Court Litigation Section and the Immigration Justice Campaign.

RMIAN's Mekela Goehring, Ashley Harrington, and Laura Lunn featured in Colorado Public Radio story about increased ICE enforcement and the devastating effects on community members.

The University of Denver and the University of Colorado-Boulder to host DACA Renewal Clinics to provide legal advice and help to prepare applications.

It is unknown how long USCIS will continue to accept DACA renewal applications, so individuals who wish to apply may want to do so quickly. Individuals who believe they may be eligible to apply to renew their DACA and who cannot afford a private attorney may contact the RMIAN's Children's Program for a free consultation by calling 303-433-2812. Individuals who can afford to are encouraged to consult with a licensed immigration attorney.

The Immigration Justice Campaign, a joint initiative between AILA and the American Immigration Council, announces its partnership with RMIAN in an effort to increase the legal representation of detained immigrants.

“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Reporter Andrew Graham speaks with RMIAN's Executive Director, Mekela Goehring, and others about a proposed immigration detention center in rural Wyoming.

Denver will host Detention Watch Network's National Member Conference on May 17-19, 2018. This is a great opportunity for Coloradans to collaborate with national experts and advocates working on issues related to immigration detention.

"RMIAN mourns the death of Mr. Samimi, whose preliminary cause of death is cardiac arrest, while detained at the for-profit civil immigration detention center. We witness the tragedy of immigration detention on a daily basis. This death powerfully demonstrates the need for ICE to end immigration detention and pursue alternatives to detention," said RMIAN Board President, Patricia Medige.

Tuesday, December 5, is Colorado Gives Day. Be part of the statewide movement to give where you live and help us take advantage of the $1 million incentive fund by making a donation to RMIAN today!

New findings demonstrate that government-funded defense dramatically increases successful outcomes and boosts public trust and public safety.

RMIAN's Jessica Burnett and Natalie Petrucci will be presenting in Denver next Monday, November 13. The course, entitled - Ensuring Immigrants' Rights in Colorado: Opportunities for Meaningful Pro Bono Work with RMIAN - is an opportunity for attorneys to learn about pro bono opportunities with RMIAN.

RMIAN's Lauren Duke and Megan Hope will join other local advocates in discussing immigration at the upcoming Civic Education for Civic Engagement Series, hosted by the University of Denver's Graduate School of Social Work.

Colorado woman and Yale senior, Viviana Andazola Marquez, tells the story of how her father, a long-term Colorado resident, was detained and placed in deportation proceedings.

*Photo Courtesy of Viviana Andazola Marquez and the New York Times

The Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center will provide a webinar on "Trauma-Informed Care for Attorneys Working with Victims of Crime" on Wednesday, November 15th.