As part of its Pro Bono Asylum Project, PAIR identifies asylum-seekers with valid claims and assigns a pro bono attorney affiliated with the organization to represent the asylum seeker in immigration court. Clients range from all over Africa, Cambodia, El Salvador, Haiti, and Eastern European countries. The asylum seekers represented by PAIR flee from persecution for exercising freedoms such as the right to express political opinions, freedom of speech and assembly, or the right to practice a religion. PAIR provides most of its pro bono services through volunteer attorneys, paralegal, law students, and interpreters who donate over $2 million worth of services each year. PAIR also assists immigration detainees through the Detention Center Program. Due to major changes in immigration law since 1996, the population of immigrant detainees has dramatically increased. PAIR’s goal is to identify immigrants with valid claims, to represent them or to help them obtain private counsel, and to explain the relevant law and policy to detainees through “Know Your Rights” presentations at Massachusetts detention centers.
As an intern at the PAIR Project, I experienced several aspects of operating a legal organization and representing clients. These functions included researching country conditions, writing abstracts for pro bono attorneys, transcribing immigration proceedings for attorneys, helping the attorneys with intake, and attending immigration court proceedings, among other things.
Researching country conditions and writing abstracts for pro bono attorneys was of particular interest to me. The majority of the cases handled by the PAIR Project are referred by Catholic Charities in Boston. Catholic Charities will typically interview the client and type up their “story” along with personal information such as date of birth and date of arrival in the United States. This information is reviewed by PAIR attorneys and a decision is made whether to accept the asylum-seeker’s case. To help make the decision, however, the attorneys would often need evidence from credible sources that similar incidents depicted in the intake did take place in the country of origin. Thus it was my job to research the conditions of several countries (including Cameroon, Chechnya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Haiti, and El Salvador) and write a brief report summarizing whether the reported conditions did in fact match reports for that country. Once the case was accepted, a brief description of the client’s case would be added to a list of accepted cases that were sent to pro bono attorneys. After completing the research and report, I would write up the abstract that was sent to the pro bono attorneys.
Another aspect of my work involved transcribing immigration court proceedings for pro bono or low fee attorneys affiliated with PAIR. Attorneys request transcription of immigration proceedings primarily because the length of time between court days may be several months. During the summer I witnessed proceedings in June and July that weren’t scheduled to be continued until October or November. With such a large time gap it is important for the attorneys to remember exactly what was said at the proceedings as it is on the record and could be drawn upon in court. In addition to the time gap, attorneys practice law all over Massachusetts and may not have the time or resources to drive to Immigration Court in Boston to review the tapes. Taped immigration proceedings are not allowed out of the immigration court lobby, a small room. Only one attorney/paralegal may check out a file at a time, and appointments must be made. In one case, for a combination of these reasons, I was assigned to transcribe an immigration proceeding related to a client from Cameroon. The client had been persecuted based on political affiliation. I found it valuable to try and follow the logic of the attorney’s questions as I transcribed the hearing. Aside from researching and transcribing, I helped in the office answering phone calls, preparing immigration authorization work applications, mailing applications and letters, and similar duties. I worked with the two attorneys, the executive director, and the two law school interns.
One of the most memorable moments while working at PAIR happened during the first two days of work. On my first day, as soon as I arrived, I was sent to immigration court to listen to a PAIR-affiliated attorney represent a client from Somalia. I was incredibly excited as I had never been to immigration proceedings before despite working for an immigration legal organization the previous summer. After the proceedings, I headed back to the office and ten minutes later the client, attorney, and her staff arrived, unexpectedly to me. I met the client and we talked for several minutes. It was the first time I had met someone from Somalia. The client had spent time in Kenya after being persecuted in Somalia and was talking about the difficulties he had gone through. The following night was the organization’s annual fundraiser dinner. Before most of the guests arrived I met a journalist from Sierra Leone who had just received asylum a few days prior. He had written for a newspaper in Sierra Leone and was harassed by members of several political parties who thought he was spying for the opposing side. He had applied to take part in a journalism conference in Washington, D.C. and was accepted and decided to apply for asylum.
To meet these two men, from Somalia and Sierra Leone, in less than two days, blew me away. Despite being from different countries and having faced different forms of persecution, these two men shared a common trait: bravery. I was struck by how competent they each were, despite being “stranded” in a new country. Each had found his own community of immigrants and was starting a new life. Too often I wrap myself in the security blanket of friends and family and familiarity. These encounters have propelled and encouraged my desire to take bigger risks in life in the attempt to help others in need.
I am still in Boston at the moment but am preparing to move to Accra, Ghana in October. I will be working in the Ghanaian Parliament in the legislative management division in Accra for 9 months. I will also spend weekends at a refugee camp near Accra helping to educate the residents, and will play music in a highlife band in Accra.