CBA Record Sept-Oct 2019

PRO BONOWEEK 2019 – CONNECTINGWITH COMMUNITIES

have to actively work on cases with other lawyers. Second, it is extremely reward- ing to provide stability to these young people.” ”My clients have thrived. I love hearing about all of the amazing things they’ve been able to do, from going to college, to attending elite high schools, to taking care of their families. I love the opportunity SIJS work gives me to see shy, lost, and frightened children bloom into flourishing, successful young people. I take great pride in the role I get to play in ensuring that my clients can be the best, most successful versions of themselves.” Recently, pro bono attorneys have stepped up to ensure individuals, like John, have access to justice. Here are just a few examples: • The “Zero Tolerance” policy resulted in thousands of parents being forc- ibly separated from their children. In addition to the trauma for children and families, the policy also created unprecedented logistical headaches for advocates. For example, a pro bono team working with NIJC rep- resented a seven-year-old girl whom U.S. Customs and Border Protection had separated from her mother at the border. The mother was detained in San Diego, CA and abandoned her asylum case before speaking with a lawyer, thinking it would help reunite her with her daughter. The pro bono team successfully reunited the mother with her child and helped the family proceed with their asylum case. After all the mother and her daughter have been through, they may finally be able to establish a safe life together in the United States. • While the Deferred Action for Child- hood Arrivals (DACA) program has provided life-changing benefits and legal protections to nearly a million young immigrants who came to the United States as children, it is in

legal peril. The program’s on-again, off-again status has caused fear and confusion, but during this time of uncertainty, pro bono attorneys in Chicago volunteer at free monthly legal clinics where they help individu- als apply to renew their important protections under DACA. • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have increased enforce- ment in communities through Illinois and the rest of the country. Pro bono attorneys participate in community outreach and staff emergency hotlines to ensure people know their rights and are prepared for encounters with ICE agents. Pro bono clinic volunteers also help with guardianship planning for undocumented parents if they are deported and separated from their children. Wagner encourages all attorneys to engage in pro bono work in this time of need. While she herself has experience in immigration law, subject-matter exper- tise is not necessary to become involved. Organizations such as NIJC, Legal Aid Chicago, CVLS and many others offer the training and support needed for any attorney, regardless of experience, to pro- tect immigrant communities and uphold due process through pro bono service. The work of pro bono attorneys is more important than ever, and the impact in immigrant communities can be noth- ing short of life-changing – for attorneys as well as clients. All attorneys—whether from large firms, boutique firms or solo practitioners—can have an impact by volunteering their skills to help those who depend on them, like John. Ellen Miller is the pro bono manager at the National Immigrant Justice Center. Lara Wagner, founding principal attor- ney at Law Offices of Lara Wagner, LLC, contributed to this article.

States law enshrines the protections of the Refugee Convention and provides that any person “physically present in the United States or who arrives in the United States … may apply for asylum.” Nonetheless, the U.S. government has taken concerted measures to end asylum protections as we know them. Through it all, Chicago’s pro bono community has responded with vigor to ensure access to justice for our immigrant neighbors and newcomers. In the past year alone, NIJC’s pro bono network has grown from 1,600 to 1,900 pro bono attorneys. Non-citizens do not have the right to appointed counsel, but they are five times more likely to obtain relief if they have counsel. Children, the mentally ill, detained individuals, families forcibly separated by the U.S. government, and many more depend on pro bono repre- sentation to stay safe. Lara Wagner is the founding principal attorney at Law Offices of Lara Wagner, LLC, and volunteers as a pro bono attor- ney with NIJC and Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS), where she has represented children, like John, who are seeking SIJS visas. “First, it gives me the opportunity to collaborate with other attorneys,” Wagner said. “This is one of the few opportunities I, as a solo practitioner, Attorneys from Jenner & Block LLP and JPMorgan Chase & Co. pose with their client and her family, whom they represented pro bono through the National Immigrant Justice Center, after they won asylum.

CBA RECORD 23