Immigrants and asylum-seekers searching for protection and safe-haven in the United States have been met with increasing disdain and racism, as well as practical impediments affecting their ability to successfully resettle within our borders. This issue has been further complicated by the administration’s implementation of new policies and regulations that frustrate the ability of asylum-seekers to obtain relief, as well as by the notoriously high asylum denial rates in immigration courts at or near the border. The denial rates out of the detained border courts are even higher. Even for represented asylum-seekers, who statistically fare better than pro se asylum applicants, the chance of obtaining asylum relief before immigration courts while detained at or near the border is bleak. Hope for relief for many of these immigrants (and others like them) lie with the appeal process.

This project seeks to increase the chances of asylum seekers to obtain positive outcomes in their cases by them with pro bono counsel to appeal unfair and poorly reasoned decisions coming from the El Paso (and nearby) immigration courts. HIAS and our partner (Immigration Justice Campaign) will arrange for mentors for pro bono attorneys and provide access to relevant training materials for pro bono attorneys to successfully represent their clients.

HIAS provides malpractice insurance for pro bono attorneys who aren’t otherwise covered.