In times of crisis, L4GG mobilizes quickly, such as with the pro bono project we’re currently building to help Ukrainian nationals in the U.S. apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). But that doesn’t mean our existing work stops.
Here’s a quick update on 4 of the ways L4GG is making a difference in our communities right now, with your support:
1. Helping Afghan Refugees
We recently completed a pilot project in partnership with the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) and Kirkland & Ellis to support Afghan families who arrived in the U.S. as refugees by airlift after America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. Through this program, nearly 100 Afghan refugees were screened and received legal assistance to complete and file applications for asylum and adjustment of status. Our pro bono volunteers were deeply moved by the experience, and told us that they were honored to serve this community.
We are now exploring ways to replicate and build on the success of the pilot project, to help even more refugees secure immigration stability.
2. Fighting for Clean Drinking Water in Michigan
L4GG’s Climate Change team recently launched a project in partnership with Great Lakes Environmental Law Center (GLELC) to establish a right to clean, affordable drinking water in Michigan. We’re focusing first on the community of Benton Harbor, Michigan, where the residents, 90% of whom are people of color, are forced to rely on bottled water as a result of lead contamination in their water supply over the past three years.
Together with GLELC, we’re conducting FOIA research and document analysis to determine how and why the Benton Harbor Water Crisis took place, and help ensure the infrastructure is fixed as quickly as possible. Next, we’ll write a report and draft policy recommendations to help protect Benton Harbor and other disadvantaged communities in Michigan from lead water crises in the future.
You can read more about our climate change work, and our climate change director, Jillian Blanchard, here.
3. Advancing Racial Justice through State Legislative Advocacy
You may have seen our inaugural policy report on child farmworkers late last year. Since its launch, we’ve been hard at work with our coalition partners, developing policy recommendations for all 52 states, and working to improve labor employment protections for child farmworkers at the state level. L4GG’s Policy team, led by Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement, Mika Fernandez, is working to see this process recreated multiple times for issues with large support that impact marginalized communities, such as voting rights, criminal justice reform, and more.
Read this interview with Mika to learn more about Lawyers for Racial Justice, and how L4GG hopes to plug into important state legislative battlegrounds in 2022.
4. Defending the Rights of Asylum Seekers
We’re continuing our work both on the southern border and for asylum seekers throughout the country. On the border, our Project Corazon team continues to secure humanitarian parole for particularly vulnerable asylum seekers (i.e., those with medical or psychological conditions, pregnant women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and third-language speakers). And, through our Work Permit Pro Bono Program, we’re securing work permits for asylum seekers once they’ve entered the U.S so they can provide for themselves and their families while awaiting the outcome of their asylum cases.
We recently received a very touching note from an asylum seeker we helped secure her work permit - here’s an excerpt:
““Thanks to [Project Corazon’s] dedication to service and spirit of solidarity towards others, they achieved in less than a month what I had not achieved in 2 and a half years — SECURING MY SOCIAL AND WORK PERMIT. God bless you greatly.””
That’s just a small look at what we’re working on at the moment, and we’re so grateful to be doing this work with and for our L4GG community. Thank you for your continued support.