COUNTY'S IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY.
>> PARIS, IMMIGRANTS FACING
DEPORTATION IN COOK COUNTY WILL
NOW BE ABLE TO ACCESS LEGAL
REPRESENTATION FROM PUBLIC
DEFENDERS STARTING IN JANUARY.
A PAIR OF BILLS SIGNED BY
GOVERNOR J.B. PRITZKER PROVIDES
NOT ONLY LEGAL COUNSEL BUT
PUBLIC INFORMATION CAMPAIGNS SO
IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES WILL
KNOW THEIR RIGHTS.
JOINING US TO DISCUSS THE
LEGISLATION AND WHAT IT MEANS
FOR THE COMMUNITY ARE HENA
MANSORI, HEAD OF THE IMMIGRATION
UNIT AT THE COOK COUNTY PUBLIC
DEFENDERS OFFICE AND STATE
REPRESENTATIVE JENNIFER GONG
GERSHOWITZ THANK YOU TO BOTH OF
YOU FOR JOINING US.
REPRESENTATIVE JENNIFER GONG
GERSHOWITZ LET'S START WITH YOU
YOU WERE A SPONSOR OF THESE
BILLS.
WHY DID YOU THINK THESE WERE
NECESSARY?
>> THESE PIECES OF LEGISLATION
ARE FUNDAMENTALLY AT THEIR CORE
ABOUT INSURING BASIC JUSTICE AND
FUNDAMENTAL FAIRNESS.
YOU CANNOT EXERCISE RIGHTS THAT
YOU DON'T KNOW YOU HAVE.
AND THE CONSEQUENCES CAN BE
DEVASTATING.
AND WITH RESPECT TO ACCESS TO
REPRESENTATION EVERYONE DESERVES
REPRESENTATION IN A COURTROOM
ESPECIALLY WHEN THE STAKES ARE
AS HIGH AS THEY ARE IN
IMMIGRATION CASES.
IMMIGRANTS ARE VULNERABLE THEY
MAY STRUGGLE WITH ENGLISH AND
UNLIKELY TO HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH
THE COURT SYSTEM AND IT CAN TAKE
YEARS FOR A TRAINED ATTORNEY TO
MASTER THE SKILLS NECESSARY TO
HANDLE A COMPLEX IMMIGRATION
CASE.
AND YET WE'RE ASKING INDIVIDUALS
THREATENED WITH DEPORTATION TO
DEFEND OFTENTIMES THE EQUIVALENT
OF A DEW POINT CASE IN A
TRAFFIC --
DEATH PENALTY CASE IN A TRAFFIC
COURT LIKE SETTING THIS GIVES
THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE THE
OPTION OF I REPRESENTING
IMMIGRANTS IN THE REMOVAL
PROCEEDINGS PROVIDING
CONSISTENCY IN REPRESENTATION
AND ACCESS TO JUSTICE.
>> AND HENA MANSORI, HOW DOES
THE PUBLIC DEFEND ERBIL IMPACT
THE WAY YOUR IMMIGRATION UNIT
CAN OPERATE?
>> OUR IMMIGRATION UNIT WAS
LAUNCHED IN FALL OF 2020 WITH A
GOAL OF BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE A
MORE ROBUST REPRESENTATION TO
THE NONCITIZEN CLIENTS THAT OUR
OFFICE HAS AND THAT IS ASSISTING
THEM WHEN THEY ARE IN CRIMINAL
PROCEEDINGS AND THE SECOND PART
OF THAT IS BEING ABLE TO
CONTINUE REPRESENTATION OF THOSE
INDIVIDUALS WHEN THEY ARE PLACED
IN REMOVAL PROCEEDINGS.
SO OUR GOAL IS TO BE ABLE TO PRO
IDENTIFY A --
PROVIDE A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO
REPRESENTING INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY
HAVE CRIMINAL CASES ARISING IN
COOK COUNTY AND THE SYSTEMS ARE
CLOSELY INTERTWINED.
CRIMINAL CASES HAVE A GRAVE
IMPACT ON INDIVIDUALS
IMMIGRATION OPTIONS.
AND SOMEBODY'S IMMIGRATION
STATUS CAN AFFECT WHAT THEY ARE
ABLE TO DO AND HOW THEY MAY
ENCOUNTER THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM.
AND SO WE FELT THAT AND WE
NEEDED TO HAVE A HOLISTIC
APPROACH TOWARDS TAKING CARE OF
THESE CLIENTS SO THAT WE CAN
ADDRESS BOTH OF THESE NEEDS AND
TO DO THAT THIS BILL WILL ALLOW
US TO CONTINUE REPRESENTATION.
>> AND STATE REPRESENTATIVE
JENNIFER GONG GERSHOWITZ FROM
YOUR OPINION HOW DOES HAVING THE
LEGAL COUNSEL AFFECT AN OUTCOME
FOR SOMEONE FACING DEPORTATION?
>> WELL, IT'S DRAMATIC.
I THINK MOST RECENTLY I READ A
STUDY BY THE AMERICAN
IMMIGRATION COUNCIL WHICH FOUND
THAT AMONG DETAINED IMMIGRANTS
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HAVING
REPRESENTATION AND NOT HAVING
REPRESENTATION CAME DOWN TO A
MATTER OF ALMOST TWO TIMES BEING
MORE LIKELY TO SUCCEED IF
SOMEBODY HAD ACCESS TO COUNSEL.
IN CASES WHERE AN IMMIGRANT WAS
NOT DETAINED, THE STUDY FOUND
THAT SUCCESS WAS ALMOST FIVE
TIMES MORE LIKELY WHEN SOMEBODY
HAD ACCESS TO COUNSEL.
SO THE RESULTS IN THE CASES
AREN'T DEPENDENT ON THE MERITS.
THE MERITS ARE THE SAME WHETHER
YOU HAVE A REPRESENTATION OR YOU
DON'T HAVE REPRESENTATION.
THE DIFFERENCE IS YOU'RE ABILITY
TO ARTICULATES THE MERITS OF
YOUR CASE.
AS I SAID, HAVING ACCESS TO
COUNSEL HAS A DRAMATIC IMPACT IN
THE SUCCESS OF SOMEONE OBTAINING
RELIEF.
AND AS I SAID, THE MERITS OF THE
CASE ARE THE SAME.
THE DIFFERENCE IS IN YOUR
ABILITY TO ARTICULATE A COMPLEX
LEGAL STANDARD WITH ACCESS TO
REPRESENTATION.
>> AND HENA MANSORI YOU SAID
YOUR UNIT IS STILL FAIRLY YOUNG
BUT HOW HAVE YOU STARTED WORKING
TOWARD THIS IMPLEMENTING THIS
RIGHT TO REPRESENTATION MODEL IN
YOUR OFFICE?
>> WE'RE STAFFING UP OUR UNITS
AND WE'RE ACTUALLY WORKING ON
INTERVIEWING OVER THE NEXT MONTH
OR SO.
AND I'VE BEEN CONSIDERING WHAT
OUR REPRESENTATION MODEL WILL
LOOK LIKE SO THAT COME EARLY
2022 WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO GO INTO
IMMIGRATION COURT WE'LL HAVE A
MODEL SETUP AND KNOW HOW CLIENTS
WILL BE ABLE TO GET IN TOUCH
WITH US, AND SEEK OUR
REPRESENTATION.
>> GOT IT.
AND THIS PUBLIC DEFEND ERBIL
CAME OUT HAND IN HAND WITH A
PUSH FOR MORE PUBLIC INFORMATION
CAMPAIGNS IN HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS.
JENNIFER GONG GERSHOWITZ DO YOU
BELIEVE THERE'S BEEN A LACK OF
THIS PUBLIC INFORMATION FOR
REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT
COMMUNITIES UNTIL THIS POINT?
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
PRIOR TO COMING TO THE GENERAL
ASSEMBLY, I WORKED IN
IMMIGRATION FOR OVER TWO
DECADES.
AND IT WAS ALWAYS DEVASTATING TO
ME TO SEE SOMEBODY COME IN WHO
WAIVED THEIR RIGHT.
BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO
ASSERT THEM THEY DIDN'T KNOW
THEY HAD RIGHTS.
AND OFTENTIMES WERE PRESENTED
WITH DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION
THAT WERE NOT PRESENTED TO THEM
IN THE LANGUAGE THAT THEY COULD
UNDERSTAND.
I HAD CASES WHERE SOMEBODY HAD
SIGNED THEIR OWN REMOVAL ORDER.
WHICH IN IMMIGRATION CASES IS
INCREDIBLY HARD TO OVERCOME AND
THEY COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT
IT WAS THEY WERE SIGNING DID NOT
KNOW THEY HAD A RIGHT TO OBTAIN
COUNSEL.
THE CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT
UNDERSTANDING YOUR RIGHTS CAN BE
DEVASTATING AND THIS IS A SIMPLE
MATTER OF EDUCATION.
I DON'T THINK THERE'S MANY
AMERICANS WHO CAN'T RECITE THE
MIRANDA WARNINGS.
WE'VE ALL SEEN YOU HAVE THE
RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT ON
TELEVISION AND COURTROOM DRAMAS
AND THIS IS SOMETHING WE
CONSIDER TO BE FUNDAMENTAL TO
DUE PROCESS AND FAIRNESS.
FOR THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY,
OFTENTIMES LEFT WITHOUT KNOWING
THAT THEY EVEN HAVE RIGHTS TO
ASSERT.
SO FOR ME, THIS WOULD BE A
GAME-CHANGER IN INSURING THAT
THOSE WHO ARE MOST VULNERABLE,
KNOW THAT THEY HAVE RIGHTS AND
CAN ASSERT THEM.
>> WE HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE.
THANKS TO HENA MANSORI AND STATE