García Statement on the Creation of an Immigration Unit in the Cook County Public Defender's Office

Washington, DC - Congressman Jesús "Chuy" García issued the following statement regarding the creation of the immigration unit within the Cook County Public Defender's Office:

"All individuals in our country deserve equal protection and due process under the law, regardless of immigration status. Our criminal and immigration systems have become increasingly more intertwined, leading to more deportations in recent years, and underscoring the critical need for access to counsel for immigrants. Legal representation often makes the difference between whether someone is allowed to remain safely in the United States or is deported, permanently separated from family.

"That is why I am proud to stand with local stakeholders and countless of my constituents to support the creation of a fully funded immigration unit within the Cook County Public Defender's Office (CCPD) to protect immigrants against deportation. I applaud the efforts of the Defenders For All campaign, which builds on the work I started as a County Commissioner to protect immigrants and my current work at the federal level to dismantle the immigration enforcement legal system that is hurting our communities."

If successful, Cook County will become the largest jurisdiction in the country to have an immigration unit and only the third Public Defender's Office after San Francisco and Alameda County.

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