Community Defense Program
Leaders in the Local Movement Toward Universal Representation for All
Launched in 2017, the Community Defense Project leverages ImmDef’s role as a high‑volume nonprofit immigration law center to advance a more just and humane immigration system across Southern California. The program helps communities thrive by driving collaborative advocacy efforts that expand county‑ and city‑funded affirmative and removal defense legal services in regions with large immigrant populations.
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Created with support from the Vera Institute of Justice’s SAFE (Safety & Fairness for Everyone) Cities Initiative—and in partnership with local governments and philanthropic allies—the Community Defense Project expands access to high‑quality immigration legal aid for underserved residents. ImmDef is proud to work formally with the County and City of Los Angeles, Culver City, the City of Santa Ana, the City of Buena Park, to reduce the criminalization and deportation of community members, challenge abusive detention conditions, and help keep families together.
Los Angeles: Represent LA
Created in 2017 as the Los Angeles Justice Fund (LAJF) and now expanded as REPRESENT LA, this landmark public‑private partnership was launched through joint funding from the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, and philanthropic partners including the California Community Foundation and the Weingart Foundation. Since the beginning, ImmDef has fought to protect and strengthen this program so immigrant communities across Los Angeles continue to receive lifesaving immigration legal aid.
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The impact has been profound. A 2020 evaluation by the Vera Institute of Justice found that 62% of LAJF clients with completed cases were able to remain in the United States, compared to fewer than 5% of unrepresented immigrants nationwide. LAJF attorneys also helped secure release from custody for 49% of initially detained clients, either through bond or successful case outcomes—a powerful demonstration of what free legal representation makes possible.
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Newer data shows the program’s reach has grown dramatically. RepresentLA has now provided legal services to more than 10,000 individuals since launching in 2022, including 649 people represented in removal defense and over 1,100 represented in affirmative immigration cases. A 2024 USC Equity Research Institute report further highlights that RepresentLA has become a critical pillar of due‑process protections for immigrants across the county
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This work is more urgent than ever. Recent increases in ICE raids across Los Angeles County have destabilized neighborhoods and placed thousands of families at risk. Among L.A. County residents with a pending immigration case, about 50% have legal representation as of February 2024. Legal counsel remains one of the strongest predictors of safety: immigrants with attorneys are five times more likely to be released from detention than those without representation.
RepresentLA ensures that Angelenos targeted by enforcement actions are not left to navigate the immigration system alone. By expanding access to high‑quality, publicly funded legal defense, the program helps keep families together, protects due process, and strengthens the social and economic fabric of Los Angeles.
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Sources:
Vera Institute of Justice, Los Angeles Justice Fund Evaluation, 2020.
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, RepresentLA Program Update, 2025.
USC Equity Research Institute, RepresentLA Impact Report, 2024.
Orange County: Santa Ana Deportation Defense Fund
Since 2017, ImmDef has partnered with the City of Santa Ana to provide deportation‑defense legal services to people who live or work in the city. Santa Ana remains the first city in Orange County to offer merits‑blind, universal representation for immigrants facing deportation—ensuring access to a city‑funded immigration attorney regardless of case strength or financial status.
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With support from a dedicated, city‑funded immigration attorney, Santa Ana residents facing detention or deportation have a far stronger chance of defending their case in an unjust and complex immigration system. This partnership expands free immigration legal services and strengthens community access to due process.
According to the Vera Institute of Justice, at the Adelanto Immigration Court—where SAFE’s Santa Ana clients appear—74% of people have gone unrepresented over the past five years, underscoring the urgent need for free, high‑quality immigration legal representation in the region.