New Jersey Allocates Full $20.2 Million Across 10 Providers for Detention and Deportation Defense
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill and Human Services Commissioner Stephen Cha announced in Trenton the full allocation of $20.2 million in fiscal 2027 funding across 10 legal services providers under the Detention and Deportation Defense Initiative (DDDI), which provides legal representation and related support to low-income residents facing immigration detention, deportation and removal proceedings. It is the largest allocation in the program's history since its launch in 2018.
About $13 million goes to current providers led by Legal Services of New Jersey, with the American Friends Service Committee, Seton Hall Law School and Rutgers Law School as subgrantees. Roughly $5 million funds new removal-defense providers including the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender, Church World Service and the New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children. About $1.2 million supports capacity expansion through the Immigration and American Citizenship Organization and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark, and about $1 million goes to the International Rescue Committee as coordinating entity. Final award letters were sent during the week of November 9.
In June, Governor Sherrill expanded the initiative's funding from $8.2 million to $20.2 million. State officials said the allocation ensures representation for all low-income detainees held at Delaney Hall who lack counsel, while the companion Rapid Legal Response Initiative has trained more than 150 attorneys since June. The effort is coordinated with the Office of New Americans under Director Johanna Calle.
(Source: New Jersey Department of Human Services)
Source: New Jersey Department of Human Services
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：2014-12-20 15 12 43 New Jersey World War II Memorial in front of the New Jersey State House in Trenton, New Jersey，作者 Famartin，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0；Photo: 2014-12-20 15 12 43 New Jersey World War II Memorial in front of the New Jersey State House in Trenton, New Jersey, by Famartin, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
