Unfortunately, CAIR Coalition is not always able to find pro bono attorneys for all the meritorious immigration case we identify during our detention visits to jails holding adult immigrants in Virginia. Sometimes we can take these cases in-house, but only on a very limited basis due to our limited resources. However, we offer a robust selection of self-help workshops and other types of pro se assistance to help fill this gap. During any given month, CAIR Coalition’s Adult Detention Program in Virginia is assisting close to 20-30 detainees pro se at various stages in the removal process, including holding court preparation and appeal writing workshops.
Imagine if you will, trying to navigate what is already an incredibly complex system when you are not a lawyer and English is not your first language. This would be a daunting task in and of itself; now imagine that you are trying to do this while locked up in prison. The challenges would seem insurmountable. But thanks to the support and guidance they have received from Supervising Attorney Claudia Cubas and her team of attorneys Pamela Guzman del Real and Caroline Solis, and legal assistant Allie Robertson, ten detainees proceeding in immigration court pro se have won their cases in the last year.
One of these detainees is AC. AC was subject to mandatory detention because he was previously deported. AC had fled Mexico a second time in fear of his life after being tortured by the Zetas, a powerful and extremely violent criminal syndicate. The Zetas burned his feet, cut his legs and hands with broken bottles and cut the tendons near his writs and knees which required hospitalization. Neighbors how heard his screams called the police who arrived on the scene but refused to make any arrests. CAIR Coalition helped him for over a year, by providing an I-589 application, providing him with packets on “how to write a declaration”, printing and filing country reports in immigration court, and scheduling him for several trial prep workshops with other detainees to mock an immigration court trial. Sadly, although AC won his case, the government chose to appeal and AC remains in detention. However, CAIR Coalition stands ready to assist him during the appeal stage as well.
