For the first time since its inception in 2019, the Long Beach Justice Fund will expand its scope of services, and the City is seeking partners in order to do so. The City is hoping to partner with one or more organizations that can provide free legal representation and outreach services.
The Long Beach Justice Fund connects with organizations to provide legal representation for immigrants who live or work in the city and are facing deportation. The fund was approved by City Council in 2018 with a one-time grant of $250,000 from Long Beach and a $100,000 catalyst grant from the Vera Institute of Justice.
The Vera Institute of Justice created the SAFE Network, made up of various communities, to provide legal representation.
The People’s Budget, made up of various community organizations, asked the Long Beach City Council to allocate $1 million toward the Justice Fund for the last two years and succeeded. The Fund is currently supported through the Long Beach Recovery Act.
Since then, the Justice Fund has “positively impacted” over 70 Long Beach residents by “giving them more time with their family and a heightened sense of safety,” according to a statement from the City.
According to the SAFE Network’s most recent annual report from 2019 to 2020, about 20% of its Long Beach clients whose cases began in custody ended up released from detention.
Tony Viramontes, a specialist from Long Beach’s Office of Equity, told the Signal Tribune in an email that the SAFE Network and Vera Institute are no longer directly involved, though they still “support the program with their expertise.”
“The Justice Fund stands as a pillar, ensuring stability for families and the community alike, addressing support for residents to navigate the complicated landscape of immigration law and reducing the number of Long Beach families and communities impacted by deportation,” the City said in a public statement.
The Immigrant Defenders Law Center, based in Los Angeles, has been the sole legal service provider of the Justice Fund, and the City is hoping to expand the fund’s services by creating additional partnerships. The Center is the largest nonprofit provider of deportation legal defense services in Southern California, according to a 2019 statement from the City.
The Justice Fund expansion will provide enhanced services beyond detained removal defense, including:
- Affirmative applications for people who are not in removal proceedings, but seeking immigration protections including but not limited to U-Visas, T-Visas, and Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions.
- Appellate removal defense, such as filing Motions to Reopen and Ninth Circuit Appeals for cases in which an immigration judge orders a person to be deported.
- Community outreach, education and referrals to the Justice Fund.
- The Legal Service Provider will also administer a Basic Needs Fund, which offers gift cards to clients referred to the program.
The Immigration Defenders Law Center is now directly contracted with the City, Viramontes said, and future partnerships with local organizations will build upon the services they already provide.
Long Beach is seeking a nonprofit legal service provider that specializes in immigration law and deportation defense. Organizations should have experience in both appellate and affirmative interventions, an understanding of universal representation and cultural humility to ensure that vendor candidates facilitate inclusive legal practices.
The City will prioritize organizations with strong Long Beach ties whose income is below 200% of the federal poverty line.
Interested organizations can see eligibility requirements and apply on the Long Beach Buys website by Nov. 7 at 11 a.m.
