In February of 2011, Ms. AA was arrested while driving on a suspended license in violation of probation. She was transferred to ICE custody following the completion of her sentence. Ms. AA faces removal from the United States because she has a conviction for unauthorized used of a motor vehicle with a sentence of 5 years suspended from February of 2003, and for three failed drug tests in violation of her probation from 2006, 2009 and 2010.

This pro bono opportunity will require representing Ms. AA in applying for Cancellation of Removal for Certain Permanent Residents before the Arlington Immigration Court.  Ms. AA is eligible for this form of relief if (1) she has been continuously present after a lawful admission, for seven years; (2) she has been a permanent resident for at least five years; (3) she has not been convicted of an aggravated felony; and (4) she merits a favorable exercise of discretion.  Her positive equities include her long period of permanent residence in the United States as well her significant family ties. Ms. AA’s parents are both naturalized US citizens, and she has two US citizen children, aged 8 and 5. Additionally, Ms. AA fears returning to Jordan because of her Catholic faith, the highly visible tattoos on her arms and legs, and the fact that she had children out of wedlock. In the alternative, Ms. AA is also eligible for Withholding of Removal and protection under the Convention Against Torture, fear-based forms of relief.

Ms. AA speaks English.  She is detained at Farmville Detention Center, which is roughly 3 hours away from Washington, D.C. CAIR Coalition has a Video-Teleconferencing System which allows attorneys to communicate with detained clients via televideo from our office in DC.  CAIR Coalition is also available to assist in visiting the client at the jail.

Our Legal Director, Liz McGrail and Staff Attorney, Claudia Cubas are both available to mentor the pro bono attorney in this case.  Please contact Claudia Cubas at (202) 331-3320, ext. 22 if you are interested in taking this case.

Mr. BS was born in Suriname in 1962, before the colony gained its independence from the Netherlands. He was initially ordered deported on June 10, 1998. Mr. BS has been in ICE detention before in 2007, and again in 2009. He was transferred to ICE custody in June of 2011 after being convicted for drug distribution in Winchester, VA in February of 2011.

ICE has not been able to execute Mr. BS’ removal because the Embassy of Suriname and the Embassy of Netherlands have refused or been unable to issue travel documents.

Mr. BS has been cooperative with requests from ICE officials regarding his case. He has spoken to the Netherlands Embassy on several occasions from July of 2011 to December of 2011 and even completed a passport request in Dutch although he does not speak the language. BS has a U.S. citizen mother and daughter who are willing to write support letters on his behalf.

Mr. BS speaks English and is being detained at the Hampton Roads Regional Jail, which is roughly 3.5 hours away from Washington, D.C. CAIR Coalition has a Video-Teleconferencing System which allows attorneys to communicate with detained clients via televideo from our office in DC.  CAIR Coalition is also available to assist in visiting the client at the jail.

Our Legal Director, Liz McGrail, will serve as the primary mentor on this case.

Please contact our Legal Director, Liz McGrail at (202) 331-3320, ext. 20 if you are interested in taking this case.

As an ABC class member, C-A qualifies for cancellation of removal pursuant to Section 203 of NACARA. Cancellation of Removal under NACARA is similar to cancellation of removal for permanent residents in that it requires seven years of continuous physical presence, good moral character, and a showing of extreme hardship. As an ABC class member, C-A is presumed to meet the extreme hardship requirement. Additionally, C-A has three children with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and has been a hardworking individual all his life while in the United States.

C-A, however, has a drinking problem and so he has accrued several DUI/DWI convictions, an assault conviction possibly related to domestic violence, and was recently arrested for violating a protection order. It is unknown if he was actually convicted of violating this order.

This pro bono opportunity would entail representing C-A in Immigration Court, filing his application for relief under NACARA, preparing C-A to testify in support of his application, presenting witnesses to attest to C-A’s good moral character and submitting evidence of equities in his favor such as employment history & tax records.  The pro bono attorney would also need to prepare a brief in support of the application with a focus on arguing that C-A’s criminal history does no preclude a finding of good moral character. An alcohol-abuse rehabilitation plan would be necessary in this case as well.

Claudia Cubas, our LOP staff attorney will mentor the pro bono attorney on this case.  If you are interested, please call Claudia directly at (202) 331-3320, ext. 22.

DHS has initiated removal proceedings against OTC because he was convicted on February 11, 2011, in Stafford County, VA of burglary (5 years sentence) and simple assault by a mob (12 months sentence).  In addition, OTC has convictions for trespassing (2003) and an earlier simple assault by a mob (2007).

OTC appears eligible for Adjustment of Status with a Refugee Waiver, and in the alternative protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). OTC has a U.S. citizen daughter who is seven years old and a US citizen mother who is willing to support OTC with his immigration case.

OTC speaks English and is being detained at the Hampton Roads Regional Jail, which is roughly 3.5 hours away from Washington, D.C. CAIR Coalition has a Video-Teleconferencing System which allows attorneys to communicate with detained clients via televideo from our office in DC.  CAIR Coalition is also available to assist in visiting the client at the jail.

Our Legal Director, Liz McGrail and Staff Attorney, Claudia Cubas are both available to mentor the pro bono attorney in this case.  Please contact Claudia Cubas at (202) 331-3320, ext. 22 if you are interested in taking this case.

The Worcester County Jail, located on the Eastern Shore, holds the largest concentration of immigrant detainees in Maryland.  However, due to its remote location, it was not being served by any immigrant service provider.  Now, the immigrant detainees there will have access to much needed legal assistance.  In addition to serving the facility in Snow Hill, CAIR Coalition will continue to provide legal services to immigrants detained at the Howard County Detention Center and the Frederick County Detention Center which hold roughly 70 and 50 detainees respectively.  With the addition of the facility in Snow Hill, CAIR Coalition will now be serving nearly 300 immigrant detainees in Maryland.

Along with our increased presence in Maryland detention centers we have also expanded our law school partnerships.  Currently, American University’s Washington College of Law provides CAIR Coalition with a core group of volunteers that accompany staff on every Frederick and Howard visit and assist in following up with detainee cases.  Starting in February, students from The University of Maryland Law School will also begin assisting us with Maryland cases.  They will review files in the Baltimore Immigration Court on behalf of detainees whose cases we are attempting to place and they will assist us with Reasonable and Credible Fear Interviews held in Baltimore.  They will also join us on visits to the detention center in Snow Hill to help with intake.

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GA is a Christian member of the Dinka tribe. When he was nine years old, the Janjaweed attacked his village, and as GA fled he was separated from his family. GA walked for months to reach a refugee camp in Ethiopia, from which he was also displaced by fighting. GA eventually fled to Kenya where he lived in a refugee camp for nine years until he was granted refugee status and arrived in the United States. GA later became to a legal permanent resident.

The severe trauma GA had suffered as a young child negatively impacted his ability to adjust to life in the United States. He eventually became homeless and was arrested several times for minor offenses.  He was detained by ICE in December 2010 and put into removal proceedings. CAIR Coalition met with GA soon after and placed his case with Nancy Hull and Karthik Nagarajan of White & Case.  GA spent the next year in detention as Ms. Hull and Mr. Nagarajan fought to keep him from being deported.

Ms. Hull and Mr. Nagarajan faced challenges in GA’s case because of the changing country conditions in South Sudan. The immigration court hearing, originally scheduled for the week prior to South Sudan’s Independence Day, was ultimately delayed and took place one month after independence.

The government argued that GA no longer faced any harm if he was deported given South Sudan’s newly won independence. GA’s pro bono attorneys succeeded in locating an expert who refuted the government’s assertion that GA would now be safe in South Sudan.  The expert’s testimony proved to be a critical factor in the Immigration Judge’s decision to grant Withholding of Removal.

After GA was granted relief, Ms. Hull and Mr. Nagarajan collaborated with Hannah Kane, CAIR Coalition’s first Masters of Social Work intern from George Mason University, in order to secure social services for GA and to help him make a smooth reentry into society.

GA was taken to an emergency shelter in Arlington, with a referral for a transitional housing program for ex-offenders. GA was also referred to Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR) of Arlington County, located within walking distance to the shelter, and which provides reentry services, including transportation assistance, employment services, emergency food and clothing, and social service referrals. GA has received his employment authorization document and is eager to begin working again.

According to Ms. Hull and Mr. Nagarajan, “Working on [GA’s] case served as an eye-opener to us on the challenges faced by non-citizens trying to navigate the U.S. immigration system.  Personally, both of us were thankful that we were able to assist [GA} with CAIR's [Coalition’s] active support, in securing his freedom.  Professionally, we greatly benefitted from the experience of working directly with a client to present his story to the Immigration Judge both in our legal brief and in testimony at the oral hearing… This was an educational and very rewarding experience for both of us.”

CAIR Coalition is very grateful to Ms. Hull and Mr. Nagarajan for their tireless efforts on behalf of GA.

When Pedro arrived in the U.S. in 2011 he immediately requested asylum – and was promptly detained.  Current U.S. law mandates the detention of all arriving asylum seekers.  If an arriving asylum seeker passes what is called a “credible fear” interview, he or she is then permitted to apply for asylum before an immigration judge.  However, in many cases, the individual remains detained pending their asylum hearing.

CAIR Coalition assists arriving asylum seekers with the credible fear interview process, letting them know what to expect and providing a volunteer or in-house attorney to accompany them to the interview.  CAIR Coalition staff attorney Amar Nair assisted Pedro with his interview which he passed.  CAIR Coalition then found a pro bono attorney for Pedro, placing his case with Stacey Tyrewala at the law firm of Alston & Bird.  Ms. Tyrewala assisted Pedro in getting paroled from detention and subsequently won his asylum case.

Click here to watch the video.

This legislation, co-sponsored by all thirteen council members, would direct the DC Department of Corrections to honor ICE detainer requests only for individuals who have been convicted of violent crimes.  In addition, the bill requires ICE to collect the individual within 24 hours after the completion of the individual’s criminal proceedings and to pay for the additional period of detention. The bill mirrors those passed in New York City, Cook County, IL and Santa Clara, CA.

Advocates and community members spoke out on the impact of Secure Communities on domestic violence survivors, public safety, and the program’s fiscal impact. Addressing the issue of public safety, Ms. Doan shared the story of an immigrant CAIR Coalition staff met in detention who had been placed in ICE custody in Virginia (where the Secure Communities program operates statewide) after calling the police to report a hit and run accident.  As Ms. Doan testified, “We do not want these stories to start circulating in DC. We want District residents to reach for the phone without hesitation when they or someone else needs help.”

Ms. Doan further testified that “Currently, only a small percentage of immigrant detainees in Virginia are from the District.  However, we can expect this number to grow significantly if the DC Council fails to pass the Immigration Detainer Compliance Amendment Act of 2012.”

Six months before WH came to the United States he was arrested by Cairo police at a checkpoint because of his sexual orientation.  The police beat him with a metal pipe, lacerated his face, and held his fingers in boiling water.  WH was arrested and beaten a number of other times by police because of his sexual orientation.  Three months before WH came to the United States he was arrested as a college student in Cairo for protesting against the Mubarak government.  The police forced him to disrobe and proceeded to rape and beat him and inflict electrical shocks to his naked body.

WH still carries physical scars from his torture.  He has scars on his fingers where they were boiled, near his eye where he was cut, and on his leg.

Although the Egyptian government has undergone recent fundamental changes there is no evidence whatsoever that treatment of homosexuals will improve.  The Muslim Brotherhood, the largest political group in Egypt still condemns homosexuality.  The Muslim Brotherhood is expected to gain wide control of the Egyptian Parliament through its associated Freedom and Justice Party following the 2011 parliamentary election.

This pro bono opportunity will require assisting WH in applying for protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT).  He is not eligible for withholding or asylum because of his criminal convictions.

WH speaks English.  He is detained at Hampton Roads Regional Jail, which is roughly three hours away from Washington, D.C. CAIR Coalition has a Video-Teleconferencing System which allows attorneys to communicate with detained clients via televideo from our office in DC.  CAIR Coalition is also available to assist in visiting the client at the jail.

Please contact our Staff Attorney, Amar Nair at (202) 331-3320, ext. 16 if you are interested in taking this case.

LB reports that he left Ghana for the United States because his life was in danger at the hands of the Land Guards, groups which have been known to operate as violent criminal gangs.  LB had given information to the police which had led to the arrests of members of the Land Guards who had killed two police officers.  When LB was identified as the informant, he was targeted by the Land Guards, who kidnapped and beat him severely on three occasions.  The Land Guards told LB that they would kill him if he did not leave town.

LB also indicates that he had been sexually abused as a child by an uncle.  When LB spoke out about the abuse he had suffered, his uncle retaliated by poisoning him, as a result of which LB spent over a week in the hospital.

LB reports that these experiences caused him to have a “mental breakdown.”  He has been treated in the United States since 2005 for his mental health conditions.  Prior to this year, his only criminal convictions were for two DWI offenses in 2004 and 2005.

LB is currently in removal proceedings in the Baltimore Immigration Court.  He entered immigration custody after being convicted in 2011 on theft and credit card fraud charges.  The convictions arose from incidents during which LB was hearing voices.

This pro bono opportunity will involve assisting LB in applying for withholding of removal and protection under the Convention Against Torture.  The pro bono attorney will represent LB in Immigration Court by preparing and submitting the application with supporting documentation and preparing witnesses to testify on his behalf.  LB has a fiancée, an uncle, and two cousins – all of whom are U.S. citizens – who may be willing to support him in his application.

LB speaks English, Ga, and Akan. He is detained at the Worcester County Detention Center in Snow Hill, Maryland, which is roughly three hours from Washington, D.C.  CAIR Coalition has a video-conferencing system which allows attorneys to communicate with detained clients at a number of local facilities via televideo from our office in Washington, D.C. While the Worcester County Detention Center is not currently included among these facilities we are working to try to get it included as soon as possible.  CAIR Coalition may also be available to assist in visiting the client at the detention center.

Please contact our Equal Justice Works Fellow Stephen Dekovich at (202) 331-3320 ext. 13 if you are interested in taking this case.