Melanie Lekocevic reports for Columbia-Greene Media that three members of the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement are taking training to comply with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Recognition and Accreditation Program. “These representatives are accredited through the Recognition and Accreditation Program, which aims to increase the availability of competent immigration legal representation for low-income and indigent persons, thereby promoting the effective and efficient administration of justice,” according to the Department of Justice. “We have already completed the necessary training; we are just compiling our applications,” Sanctuary Movement Executive Director Bryan MacCormack said. “There are two parts to the process — the organization first has to be recognized as a nonprofit that provides indigent legal services to immigrants. And individuals have to be accredited. We will submit our recognition paperwork at the same time we submit our accreditation documents. We hope to submit that by the end of September. We are hoping it will be approved by the end of February.” Columbia County Public Defender Dominic J. Cornelius, a former public defender for Greene County, said, “I cannot think of a single attorney in either county that handles immigration matters.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.