NEW YORK (AP) - A New York City Bar Association study says cost shouldn’t be a factor in the creation of a federally-funded public defender system for indigent immigrants facing deportation.
The New York Times (https://nyti.ms/1kthFLX ) says the report estimates it would cost about $208 million annually to provide legal counsel to every poor immigrant facing deportation.
But the study says the program would pay for itself by saving that amount in reduced government expenditures.
The study was conducted for the association by NERA Economic Consulting.
Mark Noferi, a fellow at the Center for Migration Studies who advised NERA, tells the Times the study makes the argument for the first time that appointed counsel is cost-effective.
The study is based on federal data, academic studies and interviews but acknowledges the available data is “incomplete.”
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Information from: The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com
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