Estrella del Paso Sues the Department of Justice, Kristi Noem to Restore Legal Access for Immigrants Facing Deportation
January 31, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 31, 2025 Contact: Sandra Ramirez Sramirez@estrella.org | 915-539-2855
Estrella del Paso Sues the Department of Justice, Kristi Noem to Restore Legal Access for Immigrants Facing Deportation
El Paso, TX – Today, Estrella del Paso joined several partner organizations across the United States in the filing of a federal lawsuit against the government for shutting down critical legal orientation programs for immigrants, including people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The lawsuit, filed against the Department of Justice (DOJ), Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and other defendants, challenges the government’s recently imposed stop-work order for legal access programs that have obliterated access to the most basic information for unrepresented noncitizens about their rights and obligations throughout removal proceedings.
“Legal access programs, like our Legal Orientation Program (LOP) and Immigration Court Helpdesk (ICH) are critical to ensuring individuals are well-informed when they appear before before the Immigration Court and must make critical life choices. Estrella del Paso (formerly Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services) is proud to have educated tens of thousands of individuals through our LOP and ICH programs. The decision to immediately suspend legal access programs while simultaneously detaining thousands of immigrants daily with mandates to detain even more is an affront to the values of our organization and the values on which the United States was founded. Detaining people and denying them access to legal access programs is simply unacceptable. For that reason, we have joined together with organizations throughout the country to ensure that these critical legal access programs are reinstated,” said Melissa M. Lopez, Executive Director of Estrella del Paso.
The shutdown is a direct result of the January 20, 2025 Executive Order, “Protecting the American People from Invasion,” which has paved the way for mass deportations. Without access to legal information and support, noncitizens face severe obstacles in navigating their immigration proceedings.
The lawsuit aims to restore immediate access to these essential programs, ensuring that people trapped in ICE detention receive the legal orientation and support that is their legal right.
