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Q&A
Assessing the need for additional immigration legal services
3:35:01
·
72 sec
Council Member Hudson inquires about the need for additional resources and expansion of immigration legal services. Commissioner Castro acknowledges that demand exceeds current capacity and provides estimates of the scale of need.
- Over a million non-citizens could use some type of immigration legal service
- Advocates estimate hundreds of millions of dollars needed to meet demand
- Changes at the federal level continue to impact more communities
Crystal Hudson
3:35:01
Okay.
3:35:01
What need is there for additional resources?
3:35:03
And how much of an expansion do you think would adequately meet the needs for immigration legal services?
Manuel Castro
3:35:10
As I shared in the last hearing, the demand for immigration legal services exceeds the need in their communities, especially as more communities need legal screenings and support such as legal permanent residents.
3:35:29
So we're very much aware of that.
Crystal Hudson
3:35:30
Is there a number?
Manuel Castro
3:35:33
I said in the last hearing we're we're speaking about over a million non citizens that could use some type of immigration legal service.
Crystal Hudson
3:35:42
Over a million non citizens, but is there a financial number, an equivalent to that that would be useful to support those needs?
Manuel Castro
3:35:52
Advocates have put this number at hundreds of millions of dollars.
3:35:56
Again, you know, we have programs not just at Moya but at other agencies that look to meet the needs of the highest vulnerable populations.
3:36:07
But again, as things change at the federal level, more communities are, of course, impacted.