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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has scrapped a plan to put on hold a program that helps tens of thousands of immigrants navigate the complex U.S. immigration courts.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the announcement Wednesday in remarks prepared for the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee.
The administration's earlier decision to pause the $8-million-a-year program pending review sparked an outcry from advocates and immigration judges.
They say the orientation is critical because immigrants who can't afford attorneys must represent themselves at their deportation cases.
Under the program, advocates hold group sessions with immigrants in detention to provide overviews of deportation proceedings and offer individual case orientation.
Sessions says the program will continue while it is being reviewed.
The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University says U.S. immigration courts have more than 600,000 cases.
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