Immigration removal defense at Make the Road New York

"Caminante, no hay camino. Se hace el camino al andar."

"Searcher, there is no road. The road is made by walking."

The organization Make the Road New York, where I worked during the past summer, takes its name and its mission from the above quote from Spanish poet Antonio Machado. MRNY is a very active Hispanic community organization with over 10,000 members who participate in everything from worker's rights campaigns to citizenship workshops to English classes. One of the many services that MRNY provides is legal services, and this past summer I had the opportunity to help the organization develop it's relatively new immigration/removal defense practice.

Immigration law is quite a hot topic and practice area right now, and there is a staggering, overwhelming need among low-income immigrant communities for these services. This is an already incredibly vulnerable and marginalized population, and MRNY's team of organizers and lawyers take pride in working together to provide "one-stop shop" assistance for the Hispanic immigrant communities of New York.

My role in all of this was to be a legal advocate for our members who are either in immigration removal proceedings or have an outstanding deportation order: essentially, the emergency cases. One of the strange ironies of US immigration law is that it is often the tragedies in people's lives that make them eligible for some form of immigration relief that allows them to remain in the United States. Victims of crimes or trafficking can receive U-Visas or T-Visas, respectively. Children who have been abandoned or abused by their parents can receive Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Those who have been driven from their home countries by brutal persecution receive asylum. Much of my summer was spent simply listening to our members tell their stories, working with them to find a way that something positive could come from the difficulties they've encountered and looking for any possible basis for them to stay in the United States with their families.

MRNY members at a worker's rights rally in Union Square. July 2012.

But it was also filled with lots of joy. MRNY is first and foremost a member-based community center, so every day there are meals in the communal kitchen, bachata and reggaeton blasting on the radio, and events from open-mic nights to dance parties for LGBTQ youth. At a major worker's rights rally in July, to which MRNY sent busloads of staff and members, the common refrain during the march was "El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido" "The people united will never be defeated." MRNY does an excellent job of fostering this sense of community and unity, which helps the members feel supported and for the attorneys makes the ups and downs of the legal work much easier to handle.

It was also a historic summer to be involved in immigration advocacy because of the new deferred action policy for undocumented youth announced on June 15. The policy allows undocumented people under the age of 30 who were brought to the US before age 16 and graduated high school here or served in the US military to remain in the United States (though it does NOT confer legal immigration status) and apply for work permits. In addition to my casework, I was able to help with workshops to familiarize and prepare people for the new policy. The response from our members and the immigrant community at large was overwhelming. It has been over 25 years since the last amnesty law. Even though the new policy offers nothing close to amnesty, the response showed the strength and size of the undocumented community, and how eager people are to be recognized and live a full, uninhibited life out of the shadow of "illegality."

It was an incredibly rewarding summer- I'm grateful to the amazing MRNY staff, and most importantly to all my clients who taught me so much and made the work meaningful. ¡Gracias a toda la gente de SHCNY!

Equality Now

I worked with Equality Now for the summer as a legal intern. It is an international human rights organization that works for the protection of the rights of women and girls worldwide. It campaigns against trafficking and sexual violence. The organization also supports and publicizes selected laws prevalent in legal codes and statutes of different countries addressing the most common and significant gender based discriminations in law. 

Summer is a great time in New York. The city presents a different sight even for its residents. Tourists from all over the world pour in and there is a sense of festivity in the air. There is a lot to do for whatever your interests are. Although New York gets that all around the year but during summer it just doubles. I always loved this so-much-to-do air and international character of the city and living here has been a interesting experience. I had never worked in New York before nor even thought about it before coming to Fordham. It was my first experience, working in New York and I found it as impressive as living here. There is always so much to do and my work had an international character.

I was assisting Equality Now’s staff under its two main programs; discrimination in law and Sexual violence against women. I worked on cases of rape, kidnapping, police abuses, and discrimination in law. However, as I sit to down to write this blog, I ask myself this question- what did I learn? Reflecting and recollecting the past weeks, I think I just learnt one word during this summer.

 E.Q.U.A.L.I.T.Y

This one word describes how this summer taught me eight valuable lessons in advocacy and campaigning of human rights issues.

E for Everyday life at a nonprofit: This summer gave me a chance to see what everyday life is in a nonprofit. It was a practical exercise in advocacy and campaigning of gender issues. There is a sense of satisfaction when a change occurs through your work. There is frustration when despite efforts nothing comes through. It was also a lesson in the working dynamics of a nonprofit. Moreover, Equality Now highlights abuses of women rights around the globe. The cases that I worked on came from different regions, cultures and legal systems. It broadened my understanding of the gender issues and related laws.

Q for Quality of work matters for advocacy: My work as an intern was closely supervised. I had two supervisors who were constantly giving me feedback. I researched and they highlighted the missing links in my research. I drafted communications and they got back to me with the changes. I could see where I went wrong in my draft or what was missing in my research. It gave me a good tutorial in improving quality of my work.

U for Unequal world, we live in: I worked on cases from different countries and researched on local laws of those regions that exposed me to the prevalent gender discrimination in laws around the globe. It is alarming to see how women are exploited in the name of culture, religion and society. Every society discriminates against women in some way. We are still a long way short from giving women their rights.

A for Advocacy in a different region: Equality Now usually works in collaboration with a local partner and provides the support it needs to pursue a case. I learnt about the importance and mechanism of collaboration with the local groups. Advocacy is better served when you empower the people and there is a struggle from within. It is a valuable aspect of advocacy and campaigning of human rights issues. 

L for Legal research: I was researching on cases from different countries at Equality Now. I would also look for local laws and relevant facts of the case. This research was a unique experience. Facts of a case were often conflicting. Not many countries have data-bases to look up for relevant laws. Finding the most updated version of laws was another challenge. I had to check twice or thrice before passing on my research. It was a good (but tedious) practice in refining searching skills.

I for Intelligent ways of communication for advocacy: Equality Now issues Action Alerts on cases to create awareness about an issue or discrimination in law. It also sends out communications to governments and human rights bodies. I assisted the program officers with these communications and saw how important writing and drafting is for advocacy. I also worked on preparing fact sheets for the cases to authenticate the details relevant to cases. These intelligent ways to communicate could make a lot of difference.

T for Tools of social change: Legal advocacy respects and tolerates local courts and customs. It approaches the local laws with a sense of tolerance and strives for setting a legal precedent in that system. Equality Now supports cases that have precedent setting value in legal systems. It supports victims and helps them come forward to bring about this legal reform. I realized how a case could give justice not only to one victim but also to many others.

Y for Your voice can make a difference: Equality Now issues Action Alerts to draw attention to cases of abuses. It emphasizes much on creating awareness and generating a voice. It pushes for action and provides support by circulating these communications. This awareness and understanding of the people serves an important role in advocacy. These voices can push authorities for action if generated and communicated in an organized way.  

It was a great summer experience learning these lessons in advocacy and human rights campaigning. I expect this word EQUALITY guides me through as a human rights advocate.