Nobody Should Face Deportation Alone: Asm. Bonta Introduces Right to Counsel Legislation for Californians in Immigration Court

Immigrants with a lawyer are five times more likely to win their case. AB 2600 ensures that no Californian faces deportation without due process.

• Daniel McGreevy
• Communications Coordinator
• (916) 319-2589
• [email protected]

Today, Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), alongside a coalition of 60 organizations, introduced AB 2600, landmark legislation creating a state program to provide legal representation to all Californians facing deportation proceedings, with priority for people held in immigration detention. While defendants in criminal court have a constitutional right to an attorney, no such right exists in immigration court - one of the most complex legal systems in the country - and the majority of individuals face those proceedings alone, with severe and irreversible consequences.

"Every person deserves their day in court, with a lawyer by their side. In California, thousands of our neighbors are being swept into one of the most complex legal systems in the country, often in a second language, without an attorney or a fair shot. The Trump administration's mass deportation machine is accelerating that injustice. AB 2600 represents California's chance to stand up for our values: a commitment to due process, dignity, and the principle that justice shouldn't depend on what you can afford. Representing one of the state's most immigrant-rich communities, I am proud to fight for every Californian's right to a fair hearing," said Assemblymember Mia Bonta.

Over 8,250Californians were deported in the first nine months of 2025 alone, triple the pace of 2024, as ICE and federal agents separated families and undermined community safety across the state. Research shows that immigrants with legal representation are five timesmore likely to win their cases than those who go unrepresented, yet the majority of people in California's immigration courts face them without a lawyer and without a fair shot. Many of those targeted also faced detention in facilities like CoreCivic's California City facility, where individuals in ICE custody have documentedinhumane conditions, including inadequate food, inadequate medical care, and denial of access to lawyers.

"The California Immigrant Policy Center is proud to co-lead the Rep4All coalition with 60 organizations statewide to ensure that no Californian faces deportation alone," said Bruno Huizar, supervising policy manager with the California Immigrant Policy Center. "On any given day, thousands of Californians are jailed by ICE in corporate-run, for-profit detention facilities with dangerous conditions and inadequate access to medical care, food, and water. Legal representation is a lifeline - and every person deserves the right to a lawyer when their life, liberty, and freedom are on the line."

Immigration law is among the most complex areas of U.S. law, yet its consequences are life-altering: indefinite detention, deportation, and permanent family separation. Proceedings are conducted in English, often involve country-specific asylum law, and require strict adherence to filing deadlines and procedural rules that an unrepresented person has no realistic way to navigate - frequently in a second language. Without a lawyer, immigrants miss deadlines they never knew about, fail to assert legal defenses they were entitled to, receive deportation orders in absentia, and are permanently removed even when they had a viable legal path to remain under federal law.

This is antithetical to California's values. Californians agree: 70%support due process for immigrants, including a judge reviewing their case before deportation.

"Increasing immigrant legal defense is critical to address the mass deportations, unprecedented numbers of people held in detention, and indiscriminate arrests devastating families, communities, and our economy across our state," said Abraham Bedoy, California Policy and Government Affairs Manager for the Immigrant Legal Resource Center."California should be proud of its rich history of strengthening due process protections by providing robust legal services support to countless Californians through effective state programs. AB 2600 is another important step in our state's strong trajectory towards universal legal representation"

AB 2600 would unlock state legal aid funds for qualified public defender offices, nonprofit legal organizations, and private immigration attorneys - utilizing existing resources and expanding the legal defense network across California. While the bill does not guarantee a specific outcome, it guarantees something fundamental: a fair shot in court.

AB 2600 builds on Assemblymember Bonta's AB 1261, signed into law by Governor Newsom last year, which built the framework by expanding access to counsel for unaccompanied minors and other young immigrants in removal proceedings.

"Everyone deserves to have a fair day in court and a fighting chance to stay with their families. This right-to-counsel legislation will ensure that Californians facing deportation have access to legal representation and will allow more immigrant community members to defend their right to remain safely rooted in their communities, on the job, and at home with their families," said Arisel Garcia, senior program associate for the Advancing Universal Representation initiative at the Vera Institute of Justice."As indiscriminate attacks from the federal government continue to target our immigrant neighbors, we must meet them with this kind of courageous legislation to protect immigrant communities and due process for all."

AB 2600 is sponsored by the California Immigrant Policy Center, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Central American Resource Center - California, Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN), Vera Institute of Justice, and Immigrant Legal Defense. The bill would take effect January 1, 2027.

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Assemblymember Mia Bontarepresents California's 18thAssembly District encompassing the East Bay including Oakland, Alameda, and Emeryville. She also chairs the Assembly Health Committee.

Courtesy photos can be found HERE.