Colorado nonprofit Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network receives stop-work order from Trump Administration
After a stop work order from the Trump Administration, the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, known as RMIAN (pronounced remain), is trying to show the federally funded work it does is a benefit to not only people seeking legal documentation, but taxpayers.
The Colorado-based nonprofit gets about a quarter of its funding from the federal government to run three programs: the Legal Orientation Program, the Family Group Legal Orientation Program and Immigration Court Help Desk Program.
"We just give information and provide handouts of like, 'Here is asylum law. Go and read this on your own time. Here's how to qualify for a bond to get out of immigration detention,'" said Laura Lunn, an attorney with the nonprofit organization who serves as director of advocacy and litigation. "All of those programs are actually just mechanisms to help people know their basic rights. And understand where they are in the process in the immigration court proceedings that are really complicated.
"You don't know what kind of evidence is important. You don't know what kind of documents you should be collecting. You don't know what kind of testimony you should be giving to the court."
Colorado has the lowest percentage of people having an attorney to represent them in immigration courts in the nation, due to the number of people seeking legal status and due to a shortage of immigrant legal help.
At first RMIAN received notice last week that their funding was put on pause, then the following day got a stop work order.
The money comes through the Department of Justice and Homeland Security, which are both now part of the Trump Administration.
President Trump has said the freeze, now lifted, is part of a review.
"We are merely looking at parts of the big bureaucracy where there has been tremendous and abuse," Mr. Trump said.
But RMIAN believes it is actually a net benefit to taxpayers by giving them information to navigate a complicated system faster and tying up immigration courts less.
"So if somebody understands 'I don't qualify for asylum,' they might not pursue their asylum claim and they might instead say, 'Hey, can I have voluntary departure, or an order of removal?'" Lunn said.
Nonprofits and federal loan and grant recipients are already arguing that Congress approves spending and money set aside by Congress for federal programs cannot be curtailed. RMIAN has received federal money for about 20 years under multiple administrations.
"There have been fiscal impact statements made time and time again and each and every time, there has been a demonstrated cost benefit to the government," Lunn said. "If you invest in this program, you're actually saving a lot of money in government resources from detaining people from enforcement and from the immigration court system."
Which makes their argument about taxpayer money.
"That's how you get bipartisan support is by being able to show the fiscal impact and the cost savings for the government. At this moment it feels very politicized. And it is targeting groups who they believe are helping immigrants," said Lunn.
There is also an apparent ideological factor to the Administration's moves. RMIAM does do other work, not funded by the federal government that involves representation for immigrants. The Trump Administration tried to cut the programs in 2019.
"Congress stood up and said 'No we appropriated these funds and we believe in this program,'" recalled Lunn.
Now she is preparing arguments for support, as RMIAN looks at how it can help people it believes are in desperate need.
"People come to the United States because we have a strong, firm, rule of law. And that rule of law provides us with so many protections, each and every day," she explained. "When the executive branch is just kind of shirking the rule of law, people should be afraid. The thing that is frightening to say that they can make whatever choices they want to and to strip people of basic rights as a result."
