Recognition and – Advocacy groups in Illinois say DOJ quietly weakened a decades-old program that lets nonprofits provide low-cost legal services to low-income immigrants.
Thirteen Illinois advocacy organizations say the Department of Justice is quietly dismantling a long-running program that has helped low-income immigrants access affordable legal representation.
Their concern centers on the federal Recognition and Accreditation Program. which for more than 60 years has allowed non-attorneys—such as trained legal representatives working through nonprofit organizations—to provide certain legal services under DOJ oversight.. For many families navigating deportation threats or seeking immigration benefits. the program has been one of the few pathways to representation they can realistically afford.
Illinois groups allege the changes came without warning.. They say senior DOJ attorneys who previously ran the program were reassigned to work as entry-level law clerks. a shift described by The Resurrection Project and partners in a letter supporting the program.. The groups argue that replacing experienced leadership with a lesser role could reduce the program’s capacity and weaken the infrastructure that keeps non-attorney legal help available across the country.
“What this program does is it expands access … to high quality. trusted legal representation through nonprofits. ” said Tovia Siegel. director of organizing and leadership for Immigrant Justice at The Resurrection Project of Chicago.. Siegel framed the move as part of a broader effort to limit due process for immigrants facing court proceedings. family separation. and removal to countries they may view as unsafe.
In Illinois. where nonprofit immigration legal services often serve communities with limited resources and complex cases. advocates say the impact can be immediate.. Liza Gutierrez. director of immigrant programs at Partners for Our Communities in Palatine and a DOJ-accredited representative herself. called the loss of the program “tremendous.” She said representation is already scarce for people who qualify as low-income. and that most cannot afford traditional attorney rates.
Without the program, Gutierrez said immigrants may become vulnerable to predatory practices.. She pointed to the growing problem of exorbitant fees charged for filings that. in many cases. carry far lower costs than what families are asked to pay.. When legal help is restricted. she warned. the gap does not disappear—it is filled by those willing to exploit urgency and fear.
That fear is tied to timing as much as access.. Immigration proceedings can move quickly. and decisions about benefits often require applicants to respond under pressure while also facing deportation risk.. Advocates argue that due process is not an abstract principle in these situations; it becomes whether a person understands the process. can submit the right evidence. and has someone who can explain next steps before the case becomes irreversible.
There is also a broader systems question underneath the complaint: what happens to capacity when federal oversight changes.. The Recognition and Accreditation Program relies on a working relationship between DOJ and the nonprofit organizations and accredited representatives that deliver services on the ground.. If the program is disrupted. even temporarily. it can ripple outward—affecting the ability of nonprofits to recruit and train representatives. maintain compliance standards. and handle caseloads.
Advocates in Illinois say they were not given advance notice to plan for the shift.. They also say the federal role is critical because it helps ensure the legal services provided through nonprofits meet standards meant to protect clients.. Without that scaffolding. the legal landscape for immigrants could become more uneven. leaving some communities served while others lose the closest thing to affordable representation.
A DOJ spokesman did not respond to questions about the program.. The Illinois groups say they want the senior DOJ attorneys returned to their roles running the Recognition and Accreditation Program.. They are also calling on Congress to use oversight authority to demand a full public accounting for what they describe as the change.
For immigrants and the nonprofits that serve them, the stakes are not only legal but economic and human.. When representation is hard to access—or stops being reliably available—cases are more likely to stall. misunderstandings can compound. and outcomes can swing on whether someone can make their story heard in court.. For advocates, that is why they are pushing back so publicly now, before the damage becomes routine.