Government Attacks on Immigration Lawyers

Last March, the Trump administration issued a memo, directing the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to take disciplinary and punitive action against attorneys practicing in the courts. The memo takes particular aim at immigration lawyers, pro bono attorneys representing asylum seekers in immigration court.

The Government’s attack on immigration attorneys is based on existing rules of professional conduct which attorneys already must follow. For example, attorneys cannot file false or frivolous claims in immigration courts. And there are already rules in place that can forbid an attorney from representing clients in the immigration courts. There are no new rules here, but it creates the environment which encourages the federal government to intimidation lawyers representing vulnerable individuals the government is predisposed against.

Attorneys representing immigrants in immigration court and challenging the government’s illegal practices are critical to maintaining appropriate due process and in the immigration system.