Illegal immigrants to receive estimated $5.6 million in taxpayer money for deportation legal defense: report

Cities throughout the United States have provided an estimated $5.6 million in taxpayer money for illegal immigrants’ legal defense, according to a new report.

The right-leaning Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) said Tuesday that “deportation defense” programs utilized public funding in 50 jurisdictions, including 22 that partnered with a left-leaning group known as the Vera Institute of Justice.

After researching those 22 state and local governments, IRLI estimated a taxpayer price tag of $5.6 million in 2022.

Dale L. Wilcox, executive director and general counsel at IRLI said those programs are “an insult to every law-abiding American citizen and legal resident.” 

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He added, “[O]ur laws clearly state that non-citizens charged with civil offenses do not have a right to legal representation. Yet we have radical anti-borders groups starting these programs and sticking unknowing citizens with the bill. It’s outrageous.”

Migrants take temporary shelter in a basketball court in Juan Rodriguez Clara, Veracruz state, Mexico, on Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021.
(Alejandro Cegarra/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Vera Institute of Justice said that providing legal representation to immigrants is “widely supported and in line with our most fundamental shared American values.” 

It continued: “No one should appear in immigration court without a lawyer, especially when the consequences include possible deportation and separation from one’s family and community. It’s the government’s responsibility to protect the fundamental rights, health, and security of everyone in our communities, including immigrants who are targeted by our…