On April 27, 2020, HSPRD filed an amicus brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on behalf of 60 criminal justice leaders – including 36 elected prosecutors from 24 states around the nation. The amicus brief supports the City of Evanston and the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ challenge to the U.S. Department of Justice’s funding conditions on monetary grants to municipalities. Those conditions seek to force local governments to carry out immigration enforcement against their wishes.
The amicus brief, filed in City of Evanston et al. v. Barr, argues that forcing local law enforcement to carry out immigration functions through restrictions on important public safety funding would erode trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities, reduce the effectiveness of community policing models, and undermine public safety. The brief highlights the need to keep local law enforcement from becoming de facto immigration agents and cites recent studies demonstrating that such measures can discourage immigrants from reporting crimes and cooperating with law enforcement officers and prosecutors because they fear deportation.
Signatories to the amicus brief include Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin. Read the brief to see full list of signatories.
The amicus brief was authored by HSPRD attorneys Matthew Piers, Chirag Badlani and Caryn Lederer, along with Georgetown Law’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, with the assistance and coordination of Fair and Just Prosecution, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting a justice system grounded in fairness, equity, compassion, and fiscal responsibility.
HSPRD has authored numerous amicus briefs in court around the country, including the Supreme Court, in support of Sanctuary Cities and DACA recipients. Learn more about HSPRD’s Civil Rights and Immigration Practices.
