CBA Record February_March 2016

YLS Special Issue l THE COMPLETE LAWYER

By Renae Yoo and Tess Feldman

Pro Bono on the Border What We Learned at Family Detention

T his year, we each provided a week of pro-bono service to women and children detained at the SouthTexas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas. This federal detention camp was built in December 2014 to house women and chil- dren seeking asylum in the United States after fleeing countries in Central America. It was constructed after the camp in Arte- sia, NewMexico closed at the end of 2014. Due to unprecedented numbers of women and children crossing the border for refuge on American soil, the Depart-

ment of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) implemented a policy of indefinite detention in an effort to deter people seeking safety from political, gang-related, and gender-motivated violence in Central America, primarily Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. For months, detainees were not issued bonds to pay for their release, asylum seekers in detention were very ill, and children were being held in violation of federal standards for their care. Though volunteers around the country

have worked to improve conditions, as of October 1, 2015, 1,758 women and chil- dren seeking asylum remain in detention at this facility without any criminal charges filed against them. There are similar facili- ties in Texas and Pennsylvania as well. Here are some things we learned from representing asylum-seekers. Attorneys can provide significant assis- tance, even when they do not know specific answers to technical questions. Asylum was not a large part of our practices. On the flight from Chicago, we were reading case

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