S.744 Immigration bill - Sec. 3503: OFFICE OF LEGAL ACCESS PROGRAMS
Posted Wed, Apr 17, 2013 at 4:57 pm
- (a) Establishment of Office of Legal Access Programs- The
Attorney General shall establish within the Executive Office for
Immigration Review an Office of Legal Access Programs to develop and
administer a system of legal orientation programs to make immigration
proceedings more efficient and cost effective by educating aliens
regarding administrative procedures and legal rights under United States
immigration law and to establish other programs to assist in providing
aliens access to legal information.
- (b) Legal Orientation Programs- The legal orientation programs--
- (1) shall provide programs to assist detained aliens in
making informed and timely decisions regarding their removal and
eligibility for relief from removal in order to increase efficiency and
reduce costs in immigration proceedings and Federal custody processes
and to improve access to counsel and other legal services;
- (2) may provide services to detained aliens in
immigration proceedings under sections 235, 238, 240, and 241(a)(5) of
the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1225, 1228, 1229a, and
1231(a)(5)) and to other aliens in immigration and asylum proceedings
under sections 235, 238, and 240 of the Immigration and Nationality Act
(8 U.S.C. 1225, 1228, and 1229a); and
- (3) shall identify unaccompanied alien children, aliens
with a serious mental disability, and other particularly vulnerable
aliens for consideration by the Attorney General pursuant to section
292(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as added by section
3502(c).
- (c) Procedures- The Secretary shall establish procedures
that ensure that legal orientation programs are available for all
detained aliens within 5 days of arrival into custody and to inform such
aliens of the basic procedures of immigration hearings, their rights
relating to those hearings under the immigration laws, information that
may deter such aliens from filing frivolous legal claims, and any other
information deemed appropriate by the Attorney General, such as a
contact list of potential legal resources and providers.
- (d) Rule of Construction- Nothing in this subsection shall
be construed to create any substantive or procedural right or benefit
that is legally enforceable by any party against the United States or
its agencies or officers or any other person.
- (e) Funding- There shall be appropriated, from the
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Trust Fund established under section
6(a)(1), such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.
3503
OFFICE OF LEGAL ACCESS PROGRAMS