Report: State and Local Governments Spent $5.6 Million on Lawyers for Illegal Immigrants

At least $5.6 million in state and local taxpayer funds will be used to bankroll lawyers for illegal immigrants fighting deportation this year, according to an immigration reform group report released on Tuesday.

Following a review of local and city governments that partnered with a group that seeks to provide counsel to noncitizens, the Immigration Reform Law Institute found that at least $5.6 million in taxpayer funds from state and local communities was earmarked for these deportation defense programs, which it described as “a conservative estimate [that] does not include numerous other localities that fund their own independent anti-deportation programs.”

“These programs are an insult to every law-abiding American citizen and legal resident,” said Dale L. Wilcox, executive director and general counsel of IRLI, in a statement. “Our laws clearly state that noncitizens charged with civil offenses do not have a right to legal representation. Yet we have radical anti-borders groups starting these programs and sticking unknowing citizens with the bill. It’s outrageous.”

The findings highlight the growing state-level efforts to combat federal immigration enforcement, and the extent to which these campaigns are supported by taxpayer money. IRLI said its investigation also raised questions about whether state and local governments are providing adequate supervision of these legal aid centers, which are often funded in collaboration with outside nonprofit groups. – READ MORE