Gov. Mikie Sherrill launched a new initiative on June 4 providing detainees with free legal services and increased funding for a program that protects immigrants from unconstitutional detention.
Sherrill announced the Rapid Legal Response Initiative (RLRI) and an increase in funding for the Detention Deportation Defense Initiative (DDDI). According to a press release from Sherrill’s office, the actions come in response to “the Trump Administration’s escalating attacks” on immigrant families.
Coordinated by Sherrill and Human Services Commissioner Stephen Cha, RLRI focuses on recruiting volunteer attorneys, expanding emergency legal support capacity for detention and deportation matters and coordinating rapid legal response efforts statewide. Sherrill said the initiative is intended to connect experienced federal litigators and volunteer attorneys with immigration practitioners to strengthen New Jersey’s legal response capacity.
Alongside the launch of RLRI, Sherrill and leaders in the New Jersey legislature announced a $12 million increase in funding for DDDI, raising the program’s total funding to $20.2 million. DDDI, in partnership with Seton Hall Law School, provides free legal counsel and representation to income-eligible New Jersey residents who are at risk of or are currently facing deportation proceedings and do not have access to legal representation.
With immigrant communities facing what Sherrill referred to as an “unprecedented surge” in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention operations, Sherrill said these actions will double the availability of legal services and provide attorneys to low-income individuals facing deportation, including detainees held at Delaney Hall.
Since reopening in May 2025, detainees at Delaney Hall have raised concerns about alleged poor living conditions through hunger and labor strikes. The facility has faced multiple controversies since then, including arrests of protestors, federal charges against Newark’s mayor and a U.S. congresswoman, and the death of a detainee in federal custody.
As activists continue to raise concerns about detainee safety, Sherrill said the new measures will provide detainees with resources to help defend their rights.
“As the Trump Administration makes it more difficult for members of our community to challenge detention and deportation, access to qualified legal representation has never been more important,” Sherrill said in a statement. “Here in New Jersey, we are helping ensure more New Jersey residents receive due process under the law and more New Jersey attorneys are mobilized to stand up for the fundamental human rights of detainees and their families.”
Michela DiLorenzo is the head editor of The Setonian’s News section. She can be reached at michela.dilorenzo@student.shu.edu.
