DOJ Immigrant Legal Aid Accreditation Office Halts New Approvals After Staff Reassigned
The Department of Justice's immigrant legal aid accreditation office halted new approvals this week after its lawyers were reassigned, leaving the program unable to process applications and threatening representation for low-income immigrants in the U.S.
The pause affects approvals for both individual representatives and nonprofit programs that the office certifies to represent indigent immigrants in removal hearings. Immigration advocates said the halt could create backlogs and leave detained and low-income immigrants without trusted representatives at critical hearings.
The episode traces back to a recent reassignment of DOJ lawyers to other duties, which critics say stripped the accreditation unit of personnel needed to process applications. The accreditation office reviews training and credentials and grants limited authorization to nonlawyers and organizations to represent clients in immigration court.
Service providers reported pending applications are now frozen and some clients face immediate hearings with fewer options for counsel. The Justice Department has not publicly explained the reassignment or when approvals will resume.
đ Key Facts
- Recognition and Accreditation program has approved zero new applications since March after DOJ reassigned its attorneys to immigration courts
- Office continues receiving 40-60 new accreditation applications per week but only two non-attorney support staff remain
- More than 330 nonprofits sent a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and EOIR Director Daren Margolin demanding restoration of the program
- Processing times had already lengthened to 6-8 months in 2025 due to understaffing before the reassignment
- Nonprofits say the stall is hampering immigration legal services for large undocumented and low-income immigrant populations, including in Illinois
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