Boston City Councilor and mayoral candidate Tito Jackson said he believes incumbent mayor Marty Walsh's immigrant defense fund is a move in the right direction for Boston.
On Wednesday, Walsh announced his newly formed immigrant defense fund, aimed at providing legal support and education to immigrants. The fund includes a starting amount of $1.4 million. Walsh said the fund is a public-private partnership.
Jackson joined WGBH's Morning Edition host Joe Mathieu Thursday to discuss Walsh's announcement, noting similar legislation he introduced in February of this year. He also referenced Walsh's comments earlier this year expressing hesitancy for Boston to join other cities in creating defense funds for undocumented immigrants, calling it a “slippery slope.”
"I'm very happy his opinion has evolved,” Jackson said. “I put forth legislation to create an immigrant legal defense fund in February of 2017, because what we know is that you win 4 percent of the time going to Boston immigration court if you don't have a lawyer, and if you do have a lawyer, you win 49 percent of the time.”
To listen to Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson’s full interview with Joe Mathieu, click on the audio player above.
