Mario Varo L&S Social Sciences
Assessing Pro Bono Legal Representation for Migrants in the Bay Area
Deportation is a significant concern in areas of the United States with sizable amounts of low-income immigrant communities, such as the San Francisco Bay Area. Masses of detained migrants do not have access to legal representation, which previous studies have linked to lower removal rates. In an effort to address this issue, pro bono legal representation plays a vital role for low-income migrants by providing them with free or reduced-cost legal assistance. While there is substantial literature on Pro Bono initiatives in other metropolitan areas, this research seeks to assess the impacts of Pro Bono legal representation for migrants facing deportation in the Bay Area, and what the quality of these services looks like. Through interviews with 15 Bay Area immigration attorneys providing pro bono legal services, this research will focus on understanding how these services ensure fair legal outcomes for low income migrants while simultaneously filling a regional gap in the literature.
Message To Sponsor
From the bottom of my heart, a big thank you to the leadership fund for sponsoring this research! I have grown as both a scholar and a person by getting the oppurtunity to dedicate my summer to research and follow this passion. I have learned alot from preliminary findings, and while that excites me vastly, I am even more excited to see where this research takes me and for what it will become. Truly this support has boosted my readieness for future endeavors, and this will be a core experience that I will look fondly back upon.