BE IT RESOLVED, that the County Administrator be authorized to negotiate Agreement PR00004225 with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid to provide immigration legal defense to Hennepin County residents who qualify and are facing deportation proceedings for the period of April 1, 2022 through December 31, 2023, in an amount not to exceed $252,000; that following review and approval by the County Attorney's Office, the Chair of the Board be authorized to sign the Agreement on behalf of the county; and that the Controller be authorized to transfer and disburse funds as directed.

In 2017, the Hennepin County Board passed Resolution 17-0368 R2 supporting a request for proposal (RFP) solicitation for local non-profit legal services to provide representation to individuals facing deportation proceedings after being placed in custody at the Hennepin County jail.

The county issued an RFP on May 30, 2018 and Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (MMLA) was selected as the preferred vendor. MMLA is the largest civil legal services program in the State of Minnesota and focuses on providing services to its clients many of whom face multiple barriers. MMLA is partnering with The Advocates for Human Rights and Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. The three partner organizations have been collaborating for many years including as members of the Minnesota Detention Project which began in 2001. All three collaborating partners have received funding since 2014 from the James H. Binger Center for New Americans to provide legal representation to detained immigrants and coordinate those services as part of the Minnesota Detention Project.

In 2021, Hennepin County Law, Safety and Justice again solicited proposals for this continued service to residents facing deportation. While the deportation landscape has changed due to the new federal administration, there is still a need to provide these legal services to individuals facing removal proceedings. Although fewer residents are in custody facing deportation, cases are complicated and have become time-consuming to defend. The proposed contract amount is in alignment with other attorney contract vendors providing defense representation to Hennepin County residents.

Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid has been selected as the preferred vendor because they demonstrate excellent collaboration with other community-based organizations, as well as expertise and credentialing in immigration law. MMLA continues to partner with The Advocates for Human Rights and Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. MMLA and their partners have been providing quality immigration legal defense service to Hennepin County residents that qualify and are facing deportation proceedings since October 1, 2018.

Disparity Reduction Impact: MMLA and partners represent Hennepin County residents at all stages of their removal proceeding including bond redetermination hearings, competency hearings, merit hearings, and on appeal.  Individuals facing deportation are overwhelmingly people of color who have been marginalized because of their status.  This board action request aligns with Hennepin County’s disparity reduction efforts by providing non-citizen residents with improved access to justice through direct legal representation.