Fordham Law’s “A Decade of Advancing Immigrant Representation” conference was featured in a Law 360 article. Chief Judge Robert A. Katzmann of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit spoke at the daylong conference.
Second Circuit Chief Judge Robert A. Katzmann on Tuesday called attention to the dearth of available counsel for immigrants facing court proceedings, arguing that immigration attorneys serve a critical purpose of promoting and realizing access to justice.
In remarks at a Fordham University School of Law conference, Judge Katzmann, a leading proponent of immigrant representation, noted that New York state has made significant strides in improving access to counsel in the last decade. But the crisis has not passed, he said, urging the community of immigrant legal services to continue to broaden its reach.
“Unrepresented immigrants are being deported not because they don’t have a legal right to remain, but because they couldn’t vindicate that right without a lawyer,” he said. “Substantial gaps in representation remain, especially for those who are not detained, and there must be a continuing sustained effort to provide legal counsel for all individuals.”