Denver Allocates $2.2 Million Annually for Free Legal Help for Undocumented Immigrants

Denver will allocate $2.2 million a year to provide legal help free to thousands of undocumented immigrants, the municipal council announced on Monday.

This is a significant increase for the Denver Immigrant Legal Services Fund (DILSF), which began in 2017 with $100,000 a year by order of Mayor Michael Hancock in response to then-President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Between 2018 and 2021 Denver allocated 1.5 million dollars.

The fund has benefited some 2,650 immigrants, who were able to appear before the immigration court accompanied by a lawyer, and the vast majority obtained positive results.

Each of those cases has an average cost of $10,000.

The fund is considered a “special project” of The Denver Foundation, the largest charitable organization in the Colorado capital, although Denver authorities oversee the awarding of funds.

To receive legal help No or very low cost, immigrants must reside in Denver, be in removal proceedings or with the possibility of being deportable, have a low income and no criminal record.

“When people are detained, their chances of success are exponentially reduced for all the reasons anyone can imagine: being separated from family and loved ones, not having access to necessary documents, and lacking support,” says Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN), one of the groups that promoted the fund.

Every immigrant deserves a lawyer, regardless of the outcome of the case, said Mekela Goehring, its executive director.

According to the city, some 55,000 undocumented immigrants reside in Denver, out of almost 350,000 foreigners in this city of more than 710,000 people.

“Many of these immigrants work and are connected to family members with various types of legal status,” the Council resolution states.

He adds that legal status is the main barrier to the successful integration of immigrants, but the lack of access to lawyers creates significant challenges.

Denver will allocate in 2023 between 8 and 11 million dollars in aid to thousands of recently arrived immigrants, most of them Venezuelans seeking asylum.