Susan Beaty

Hosted by Centro Legal de la Raza
Sponsored by California ChangeLawyers, Fenwick & West LLP
Service location Oakland, California
Law school University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
Issue area Immigrant Populations
Fellowship class year 2018
Program Design Your Own Fellowship

The Project

Susan will expand legal representation and resources for incarcerated immigrants facing deportation while in prison through direct representation, policy advocacy, and regional and national capacity building.

The Inspiration

Need Addressed By Project

Incarcerated immigrants in the Institutional Hearing Program (IHP) are overlooked and underserved – just 9% have attorneys and there are no legal outreach programs at any IHP sites in the country. Without guidance or support, most people in the IHP simply accept deportation, and the few who choose to fight their cases often face violation of their due process rights. IHP hearings are conducted via video teleconference or in makeshift courtrooms inside of prisons, and facility policies severely impede representation. The IHP program currently adds over 5,000 new cases annually, and the Trump administration plans to expand the program “to the maximum extent possible.”

The Right Person For This Project

Susan is the right person for the project because:

She believes in the power of immigrants and incarcerated people, and has been advocating for immigrants’ rights and criminal justice reform for over a decade
She has represented dozens of people in detention, in prison, and in removal proceedings through internships, clinics, and student organizations
As a former community organizer, she is equipped to work in coalition, craft policies, negotiate with officials, and push for change.

Plans For First Six Months of Fellowship

In the first six months, Susan will:

Create the nation’s first legal outreach program in an IHP facility, and provide Know Your Rights presentations and individual consultations to incarcerated immigrants facing deportation in two federal prisons in Northern California
Serve as Attorney of the Day at IHP hearings, and provide full-scope representation to people in the IHP who wish to fight their deportations
Build, train, and support a referral network of volunteer IHP attorneys
Collaborate with advocates and incarcerated immigrants to develop model policies and advocate to prison administrators to enact due process protections.