Videoconferencing in Removal Hearings: A Case Study of the ...

ORGANIZATIONS
The Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago (LAF) is the largest free
legal services provider for civil matters in the Chicago metropolitan area. The Legal
Services Center for Immigrants, a special project of LAF, provides legal representation
for immigrants in removal proceedings. The Center also represents certain asylumseekers,
immigrant victims of domestic abuse and trafficking, and people applying for
permanent residency or citizenship.
Authors: Julie Dona, Geoffrey Heeren, Lisa Palumbo, Diana White
The Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice is a social impact research and advocacy
organization focusing on social justice and government effectiveness issues. We seek to
achieve fundamental, systemic reform by addressing policies, practices, and structures
that thwart social justice and that prevent individuals from achieving their full potential.
Chicago Appleseed utilizes a combination of legal and social science research, law
practice, and grassroots advocacy to accomplish our goals of developing reform-minded
recommendations and working for their implementation. We are the Chicago affiliate of
the Appleseed Foundation.
Authors: Amanda J. Grant, Mollie G. Hertel, Malcolm C. Rich
We also wish to thank Camille Gerwin, Marissa Pines, and Rodney Tonkovic for
their assistance with this project.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This project involved the work of many people. We thank the students who
monitored removal proceedings, the private attorneys who agreed to be interviewed, and
Christopher Timberlake, who took the photographs included in the report. We are also
grateful for the cooperation of the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the
Chicago Immigration Court.
This report would not have been possible without the feedback of our Advisory
Board members. The conclusions and recommendations in this report, however, are ours
only and do not represent the views of the members of the Advisory Committee.
Responsibility for any errors is also ours alone.
Finally, we are sincerely grateful to Tona Wilson for her design of the cover page
of this report.
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