Expanding Critical Asylum Assistance
The Challenge
Applying for asylum - a deeply complex legal process - is often the first step on a path toward long-term security and stability. The U.S. immigration system makes it so people need lawyers to be successful, yet most recently arrived people seeking asylum have extremely limited or no financial resources and, without work authorization until after their application is already filed and pending, have no ability to hire a private immigration attorney.
This flaw and injustice in the federal immigration system greatly impacts Maine. ILAP knew we needed to expand access to information and support people in preparing and filing asylum applications.
Working Together to Find a Solution
As you read in ILAP’s 2023 Spring newsletter, our Asylum Assistance and Legal Orientation Project (AALOP) began piloting Pro Se Asylum Assistance Workshops in June. “In the months since, we have expanded our partnerships, expanded the program, refined the workshop process, and, in turn, expanded capacity to serve more people in need of asylum assistance,” says Catherine Lindgren, AALOP Senior Project Attorney.
Rural Community Liaison Lourdes Trujillo and Legal Program Assistant Paula Esteves lead a workshop at the University of Maine School of Law in September 2023.
ILAP’s monthly two-session asylum workshops, held at the University of Maine School of Law in downtown Portland, include a thorough legal orientation session so applicants can better understand the immigration system. Pro bono attorneys, accredited representative, and volunteer interpreters then join us to work one-on-one with the applicants to properly prepare their asylum applications. After a second workshop session, ILAP staff file the applications and follow-up to confirm applicants are on track to accumulating the 180 days necessary to receive a work permit.
The American Bar Association Commission on Immigration (ABA COI), key collaborators on this project, say they are “excited to collaborate with ILAP to bring this innovative model to other populations to help meet the needs of Maine’s local community and uplift the critical service that ILAP provides.”
The AALOP team: Eric Munyentwari, Catherine N. Lindgren and Paula Esteves!
Bill Lundin, Senior Associate and Pro Bono Coordinator in Fragomen’s Boston office, recently volunteered as a pro bono attorney at one of AALOP’s asylum workshops and agrees about the project’s current impact and future potential. “ILAP’s pro se asylum assistance program is innovative, collaborative, and well-developed... ILAP is empowering individuals to take ownership over their immigration processes, with helpful resources and guidance provided in an accessible format. Given the demands for pro bono counsel for recent arrivals to the U.S., this program can serve as a great starting point for expanding access to counsel for underserved and vulnerable populations.”
If you would like to join our expanding team of asylum workshop volunteers as a pro bono attorney or interpreter, please contact Catherine Lindgren at clindgren@ilapmaine.org.