Protocols for Ensuring Effective Defense of Noncitzen Defendants in California

For this article, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center interviewed defenders from four counties in California, each with a different model. The models include having a full-time or a part-time in-house immigration specialist; contracting with an outside organization; having an in-house specialist supported by a contract; and having a full-time in-house specialist who also provides deportation defense. The defenders discuss the elements of these models, how they are funded, what the day-to-day work is like, and advice they would give to others starting such a program.