Many Immigrants Face Deportation Without a Lawyer at Their Side in Court. This Program Tries to Help
PUBLISHED Aug 9, 2026, 10:07 AM ET
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Lawyer Kamalpreet Chohan ran her finger down a list of 57 names of people scheduled to appear during a morning of hearings at the immigration court in California's capital and pointed out one glaring absence. "None of these folks are represented," she said. Chohan is the coordinator of a program that sends volunteer lawyers to immigration courts to assist people without representation and help them navigate the complicated legal system where the stakes are a future in
By Michael Grant | JQJO News
Timeline of Events
- On May 25, 2025 California Immigration Project warned ICE court presence deters immigrant attendance.
- On November 5, 2024 Donald Trump won election pledging expanded nationwide deportation enforcement measures.
- On December 31, 2024 Congressional Research Service reported legal counsel drastically increases asylum success.
- On June 1, 2025 Immigration courts introduced mega master dockets to reduce pending backlogs.
- On July 27, 2026 Federal court dockets registered record numbers of unrepresented deportation respondents.
- On August 5, 2026 Trump administration awarded a single-source legal contract for unaccompanied children.
- On August 9, 2026 Associated Press published detailed investigation into Sacramento court legal access.
- On August 9, 2026 Sacramento Attorney of the Day program assists unrepresented immigration defendants.
- On September 1, 2026 Volunteer lawyer programs will attempt expansion across regional immigration courts.
- On January 1, 2027 Unrepresented asylum denial rates are expected to increase further nationwide.
News Intelligence
- Unrepresented immigrants face elevated immediate deportation risk during court proceedings.
- Expanding legal aid programs could increase asylum approval rates nationwide.
- Unrepresented immigrants, pro bono attorneys, Sacramento immigration court, federal judges.
- Verify legal rights and official immigration court representation availability data.
- Articles Published:
- 24
- Right Leaning:
- 1
- Left Leaning:
- 0
- Neutral:
- 23
- Distribution:
- Left 0%, Center 96%, Right 4%
Left: Highlights systemic lack of legal counsel endangering immigrants' due process. Center: Focuses on volunteer lawyer programs assisting unrepresented immigrants in court. Right: Emphasizes border enforcement priorities and reducing immigration court backlog cases.
Associated Press reported on Sacramento immigration court on August 9, 2026. https://apnews.com/article/lawyers-immigration-court-trump-mass-deportation-dad8bf5c032922240f232867bcf247d5
Coverage of Story:
From Left
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From Center
Many Immigrants Face Deportation Without a Lawyer at Their Side in Court. This Program Tries to Help
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Many immigrants face deportation without a lawyer at their side in court. This program tries to help
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