Trump administration abruptly moves hundreds of immigrant hearings out of San Francisco
Northern California immigration attorneys are reeling after learning of a controversial Trump administration decision to move hundreds of immigrant detainees court hearings out of San Francisco and to a new courthouse in Van Nuys, a small city north of Los Angeles.
Legal aid attorneys and public defenders who represent the majority of detained immigrants in northern California say the government did not consult with them about the move.
Under the new plan, starting 3 February, detainees held at the Mesa Verde Ice processing facility in Bakersfield will have their cases heard before judges in the Van Nuys immigration court, which opened last November.
Jorjani said the abrupt decision would probably disrupt existing attorney-client relationships and would cut off detainees from access to the Bay Areas robust legal community.
Some assistance is provided with public funding. In July 2018, the city of Oakland and Alameda county allocated a little over $1m to hire immigration attorneys to represent detainees. San Francisco allocated over $800,000 the same year to expand its public defenders immigration unit.
Excellent
It's for the safety of those poor alien invaders.....What with the streets of SF littered with drug needles and human poop.
Those legal experts now looking for clients might seek to serve American citizens and Legal immigrants.