Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson proposed the creation of an Immigrant Legal Defense Fund for Boston, according to a Wednesday press release issued by his office.
The proposed fund is designed to assist undocumented and documented immigrants living in Boston through providing legal representation, according to the release.
Liza Ryan, director of organizing of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, said in the release that over the same five-year period, people with lawyers were granted relief from deportation in 49 percent of cases, while only four percent were won without a lawyer.
“It is not the merit of the cases that determines whether or not a person receives a just outcome but whether or not they are afforded due process,” Ryan said. “All of [Boston’s] residents should have access to fair representation.”
The Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center said in a statement they supported the creation of the fund, as the immigrant community is particularly vulnerable at this time.
“At a time where the immigrant community in the United States is especially vulnerable, we hope that the defense fund will be a practical step toward creating a safety net for the most vulnerable, one that protects the rights of individuals and families in the city of Boston,” ISBCC said in the statement.
Heshan Berents-Weeramuni, a spokesperson for Jackson, said the legislation was drafted in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order concerning the travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries.
The Boston City Council is still in the process of selecting a date to hold a hearing for the legislation, Berents-Weeramuni said.
“In the hearing we will get public testimonies and we will get opinions of organizations that work in this space, both immigrant community organizations as well as legal organizations that are willing to step up,” Berents-Weeramuni said. “The idea is that the councilor is trying to get public and private funding.”
Berents-Weeramuni stressed the importance of immigrants having the right to legal representation.
“Everyone under the constitution has the right to access legal representation, to have assisted due process,” Berents-Weeramuni said. “Immigrants facing deportation are four times more likely to win their case if they have an attorney.”
Berents-Weeramuni said the travel ban could have consequences for the local economy, as main industries are dependent upon immigrants.
“We have an incredibly important biotechnical life sciences industry [and] an incredibly extensive university and college system and academic system, which has tens of thousands of foreign students.” Berents-Weeramuni said. “[Both] are very dependent … [on] immigrants in one way or another.”
Several Boston residents showed support for Jackson’s pro-immigration stance, while others said they admired Trump’s executive order.
Dan Ladd, 23, of Kenmore, voiced his approval of the travel ban and said he admired how the president was fulfilling campaign promises.
“It’s what he promised he said he’d do,” Ladd said. “From my understanding, it is a temporary ban to find a proper vetting procedure. It seems reasonable to me.”
Michael Quintin, 28, of Allston, said he supports the efforts local officials have made to defend Boston immigrants.
“[The order] doesn’t address any of the problems it’s supposed to address, it alienates people who need to be allies, it’s completely lacking in empathy,” Quintin said. “It indicates complete disregard for the rule of law. I know [Boston Mayor] Marty Walsh, in particular, has been vocal and making the rounds. I’m proud of the response in that regard.”
John Child, 21, of Allston, said the executive order is unconstitutional and is in favor of legislation designed to protect immigrants.
“I think that the immigration ban is the wrong way to do national security,” Child said. “If we’re going to ban people we should ban people based on some completely different thing than either religion or nationality. The proposed legislation is a really good idea because most of those people won’t have due process as it stands.”
Shannon Larson contributed to the reporting of this article.
