It's No Wonder Obama Wants More Money for Immigration Lawyers: Children Fare Better in U.S. Immigrant Courts with Lawyers

Children who enter the U.S. illegally have a significantly better chance of gaining the right to stay if they have a lawyer by their side in immigration court, according to a new analysis that underscores the challenges Congress faces as it considers speeding up deportations.

Nearly half of all minors represented by lawyers in immigration court in the past decade eventually won permission to remain. But nine out of 10 without legal representation were sent back to their home countries, according to the report by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a project at Syracuse University that gathers and analyzes federal data.

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The findings are likely to fuel the debate in Congress over whether to expedite deportations—a process that would give fewer children a chance to obtain legal representation—as a surge of unaccompanied minors from Central America puts pressure on an already backlogged immigration court system. More than 57,000 children have been apprehended so far this fiscal year, more than double last year's rate, with the total expected to reach 90,000 by year's end.

The White House and Congress have been struggling to respond to the surge. Congressional Republicans and President Barack Obama have both said they support expedited deportations that would treat the cases of Central Americans similarly to the current process for Mexicans, who are often processed and sent home within days. Many Senate Democrats, however, are sharply opposed, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said Wednesday she is as well.

Meanwhile, a new survey found that about half of adults believe the legal process for dealing with Central American children who enter the U.S. illegally should be accelerated, "even if it means some children eligible for asylum are deported." The survey was conducted July 8 to July 14 among 1,805 adults and released Wednesday by the Pew Hispanic Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank.

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