Legal Program Highlights
Change of Venue Clinics
ILAP Paralegals Nadine Twagirayezu and Kate Turrell prepare paperwork to file Change of Venue petitions during a clinic at the ILAP office. Photo credit: Sarah Barton.
The U.S government often assigns immigration court locations with little consideration to where people intend to live after entering the U.S. ILAP meets with people here in Maine with cases placed with courts in Miami, Houston, and other parts of the country. People risk deportation if they miss a hearing – even if their assigned court is hundreds or thousands of miles away.
To ensure immigrants living in Maine can attend important immigration court hearings and avoid deportation because of missed hearings, ILAP launched a monthly Change of Venue clinic to help asylum seekers and others file motions to move the location of their immigration court to Boston, the closest court serving all of Maine.
Since fall 2022, ILAP has hosted 8 clinics and filed Change of Venue petitions for nearly 80 people!
Support for TPS Recipients
In our Fall 2022 newsletter, we highlighted the impact of Haiti Temporary Protected Status (TPS) on communities in Maine. At the time, the majority of our clients who had applied under the 2021 designation were still awaiting decisions.
We are happy to report that within the last 6 months, 20+ ILAP clients who were waiting on decisions have been granted TPS. For many, this approval also means access to a work permit for the first time.
Our Forms Program also filed 15 Haiti TPS renewals during the short renewal window this winter and is working on securing TPS for 40+ Haitians who qualify under the most recent designation, announced in Dec. 2022. We have also been working with long-time TPS holders from Sudan and Somalia to re-new their TPS protections.
Connecting with Immigrant Youth
As ILAP continues to see unprecedented numbers of children and teens eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), we have teamed up with Preble Street to host twice-monthly outreach events on-site at the Teen Center. During these sessions, ILAP attorneys and staff hold brief meetings with immigrant teens experiencing homelessness to answer questions about immigration issues and address emergency situations.
Immigrant Children’s Project Attorney Maggie Loeffelholz and Staff Attorney Emma Morgenstern recently provided a training to over 30 ILAP pro bono attorneys and partners covering best practices for representing noncitizen children.
In addition to the stresses of daily life, immigrant youth are up against substantial systemic barriers. A reinterpretation of immigration laws by the U.S. Department of State last year has meant those who have been granted SIJS now have to wait 4-5-years before applying for permanent residency, or a green card.
To learn more about national advocacy efforts to eliminate harmful waiting periods for immigrant youth visit: sijsbacklog.com.
ILAP in Lewiston
In partnership with Lewiston Adult Education, ILAP staff offer monthly office hours in Lewiston to answer legal questions, provide information and referrals, and help people connect with tools and information to understand their legal processes. Since beginning this project in fall 2022, ILAP staff have provided 51 brief consultations to people who would otherwise would not have access to an ILAP lawyer.
New Project Supports Trafficking Survivors & Work Continues Statewide
ILAP has a long history of working with survivors of labor trafficking to secure immigration protections, a critical step in achieving safety and stability. Trafficking is prevalent in Maine and disproportionately impacts immigrants of color, those without stable legal status, and other historically oppressed groups.
We are proud to be expanding legal services, referrals, and support for immigrants experiencing labor trafficking and exploitation in Maine alongside our partners at Preble Street and Pine Tree Legal Assistance thanks to the investment of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.
"Being empowered with legal information, knowing your rights, and having a lawyer by your side as an advocate is vital for immigrants in escaping dangerous, inhumane, and unjust work conditions," explains Executive Director Sue Roche.
In addition to ILAP’s role in this new grant partnership, the Rural Maine Project has continued connecting with immigrants living in Washington and Hancock counties through our partnership with Mano en Mano and in Kennebec County thanks to the Capital Area New Mainers Project.
Other events and workshops were offered at Catholic Charities’ new refugee service facility in Bangor, Bangor Inn of Court, and Maine Law’s Rural Maine Practice Clinic. ILAP also continued our participation in the Farmworkers Resource Network and was invited to join a newly-formed rural Maine justice task force.
Rural Maine Project Welcomes & Farewells
Long-time champion of ILAP’s Rural Maine Project, Barbara Tayor, left the organization this spring. After serving 10 years as a staff attorney with ILAP, Barbara returned in 2018 to pilot and lead the Rural Maine Project. Through her work, Barbara empowered immigrants and migrant workers and made lasting partnerships with organizations and communities across the state. Her extensive knowledge of “crimmigration” (the intersection of immigration and criminal law) and skill at making complex information accessible to all had an impact on so many. Thank you, Barbara, for your fiery passion and dedication to community.
ILAP is excited to welcome the newest addition to the Rural Maine Project Team, Lourdes Trujillo as Rural Community Liaison! She brings a wealth of knowledge of Maine’s rural immigrant communities and will expand the project’s reach and capacity.