As if the Immigration Court hearing system of the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) isn't alien-friendly enough, the Treason Lobby now has its own publicity office within this supposedly impartial immigration bureaucracy—under the guise of a pro bono program for free legal assistance.
The federal government web site promoting this foolishness makes the DOJ Office of Special Counsel's promotion of the radical leftist National Immigration Law Center (NILC), which I revealed last week on VDARE.COM, look like child's play.
The EOIR dutifully catalogs all of the Treason Lobby's finest pro-alien advocacy group web sites under "volunteer legal resources," "volunteer opportunities" (for more Treason Lobby recruits?), and under the question: "Need Pro Bono Assistance?"
With a breathless "Welcome to the Pro Bono Program section of the EOIR Web site!" the infiltrators try to explain all the free internet advertising for the pro-alien immigration bar.
"This site has been developed as part of the Pro Bono Program's efforts to work collaboratively with immigrants rights organizations, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Bar Associations, law schools, and other groups to improve the level and quality of pro bono representation before the Immigration Court and the Board of Immigration Appeals."
Hmmm. What exactly does "improve the level and quality of pro bono representation" really mean?
For the Treason Lobby, it means: finding more lawyers to get more illegal aliens out of immigration detention and keep them in the country as long as possible.
What business is it of the federal government whether or not illegal aliens and criminal alien residents have attorneys in EOIR Immigration Court removal proceedings anyway?
Answer: None! The EOIR is wasting federal funds promoting more free lawyers for aliens.
And that just happens to be prohibited.
The Treason Lobby and their EOIR fellow travelers had better take a look at Section 240(a)(4)(A) of the Immigration Act.
"[T]he alien shall have the privilege of being represented, at no expense to the Government, by counsel of the alien's choosing who is authorized to practice in such proceedings."
The bottom line: illegal aliens and criminal alien residents are welcome to hire their own attorneys in EOIR Immigration Court—but at no expense to the government.
Promoting more free lawyers for aliens at government expense is a violation of immigration law passed by Congress.
The Code of Federal Regulations governing EOIR Immigration Court proceedings— 8 C.F.R. Section 3.16(b)—is equally clear on the subject.
"The alien may be represented in proceedings before an Immigration Judge by an attorney or other representative of his or her choice in accordance with 8 CFR 1292, at no expense to the government."
What part of "at no expense to the government" doesn't the EOIR understand?
First of all, expense numero uno here is the federal government salary of EOIR "pro bono coordinator" Steven C. Lang, who just so happens to be a veteran of one of the Treason Lobby's legal assistance projects on the Mexican border.
The EOIR first came across Lang in 1999 while working for illegal alien "rights." Lang was interviewed by traveling EOIR bureaucrats as part of a study on the "effectiveness" of illegal aliens receiving even more "rights" presentations before formal deportation proceedings begin. ["Evaluation of the Rights Presentation" by Anna Hinken, see Appendix II [PDF]]
These presentations by groups not affiliated with the federal government—a direct consequence of numerous lawsuits against the former Immigration and Naturalization Service—are given to detained aliens before they are read their "rights" all over again by EOIR immigration judges.
But now, as if the relentless alien "rights" litigation wasn't enough, one of the Treason Lobby's foot soldiers is inside the EOIR—at great expense to the government–working full-time promoting the same mission.
This blatant promotion of the Treason Lobby using Department of Justice funds is a disgrace. As I said last week, it's further proof of a favorite VDARE.COM theme: immigrants, like refugees, are part of a classic "iron triangle" of bureaucrats, interest groups and politicians, all working in alliance against the national interest.
The EOIR's pro bono program along with the regime of Chief Immigration Judge Michael J. Creppy should be scrapped—as a much-needed first step toward abolishing the failed EOIR litigation bureaucracy completely.
Juan Mann [send him email] is a lawyer and the proprietor of DeportAliens.com.
