Raha Jorjani Comments for Daily Journal on Representation of Mentally Impaired Immigrant Detainees

Raha Jorjani, staff attorney with the UC Davis School of Law Immigration Law Clinic, commented for the Daily Journal on the right to counsel of mentally impaired immigrant detainees.  A month after a U.S. District Court judge ruled that federal authorities must provide legal representation for immigrant detainees with severe mental deficiencies, government-paid attorneys have begun to represent clients in some parts of the state, but in Northern California federal officials have yet to officially assign anyone to the cases, Jorjani said.

"As of now, we have no clear guidance from the government as to how this will unfold in San Francisco or [Northern California]," she said. "We don't know of any contracts that have been signed by local nonprofits or private firms."