Emergency: Stop Human Rights Abuses at the Southern border

Dear Community,

When I asked you to step up in response to the Muslim ban in 2017, you did. When babies were being torn from their parents’ arms in 2018, you joined the fight. And when thousands of families were living in unsanitary, makeshift refugee camps at the border in 2019, the L4GG community stepped up yet again, establishing a full-time legal clinic for asylum seekers in the Rio Grande Valley. For years we have stood together, helping save thousands of lives and fighting for the rights of asylum seekers at the border. But over the past few weeks the situation at the border has gotten significantly worse - and unfortunately I have to ask for your help one more time. 

Please, take a moment to read this post and learn about the gross human rights abuses we are trying to prevent. You can make a difference in this fight. 

First, CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) is now mandating that asylum seeker use a mobile app called CBP One to request exemptions from Title 42. Without an exemption, asylum seekers at our southern border are unable to cross into the United States and make their claim for asylum - but the only way to get an exemption is through an app that has raised numerous concerns regarding the accuracy of its technology, inequities in its accessibility, and potential privacy risks. In addition to excluding LGBTQ+ individuals from being able to seek safety in the U.S., our Project Corazon staff have also seen other troubling issues with the app, including:
 

• Getting an appointment in the app is the only way to seek asylum currently and it is nearly impossible, as the limited slots released daily fill up instantaneously. Most asylum seekers are stuck waiting in tents in Mexico without the ability to secure an appointment.

  • Asylum seekers like Waleska, a Honduran trans woman fleeing violence. Although she finally got a phone after all of her belongings were stolen in Mexico, the CBP One app slows down each morning when appointments become available, and she hasn’t secured one yet. 

• Asylum seekers suffering medical emergencies are required to secure appointments weeks in advance, leaving them at risk of dying in Mexico as they wait to secure and attend an appointment. 

  • Asylum seekers like the Julian family, whose 4-year-old child was extremely sick with a potentially cancerous tumor. They were forced to wait nearly a week while we fought their case; meanwhile, their child had difficulties eating and was at risk of missing her window of opportunity for treatment.

• Families are being left behind; appointments must be secured for each family member at the same time, which is virtually impossible due to limited availability. 

  • Families like the Hernandez family, who have four children and to date have not been able to secure six appointments together. Mom and Dad, who fled Venezuela after a police attack, must wait together in Matamoros for an appointment for a chance at keeping their family together.

A family waits to apply for asylum from inside a refugee camp in Reynosa, MX.

Second, and to make matters worse, in a court filing last week, the Biden Administration announced it intends to issue a proposed rule known as the “transit ban,” a rule that will block any person who has traveled through a third-country on their way to the border, including Mexico, from seeking asylum.

This proposed policy will directly cause death and trauma. More than 95% of our current clients, including those fighting tooth and nail for exemptions in the CBP One app would be disqualified from seeking asylum. Without reaching our borders, many of our clients will die. 

We Need Your Help. L4GG has been working on the Hill and coordinating with other organizations about the issues with the CBP One app, and we will now be joining larger advocacy efforts against the transit ban. But we cannot do this alone. 

We need the country’s eyes on this issue if we want something to change. 
 

1. Urge your Senators and Representatives to join this letter about the transit ban and the CBP One app issues currently being led by Reps. Chuy Garcia (D-IL) and Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ). 

   • If you have any connections on the Hill, please work with staffers in your network to urge Members of Congress to join this letter. The deadline to sign the letter is this Friday, February 17th at 2 pm ET.
      

2.  Please share this post with like-minded justice warriors and/or members of the media in your network. In particular, we need the media to cover the impact of these policies on the people at the border. L4GG is ready to help tell these stories.
    

   • We’re continuing to compile examples of how this policy impacts migrants. If you’re an immigration attorney and would like to share your experience, please reply to this email.
      

3. Donate to Lawyers for Good Government and Project Corazon. Your support makes it possible for us to defend against human rights abuses. Every dollar helps.

Thank you for joining in this fight. By lifting up our voices together, we can and will save lives, protect LGBTQ+ people from abuse, and keep families together. We will keep you updated as we continue to advocate for humane immigration policies.

In solidarity,
Traci

Traci Feit Love
Founder and Executive Director
Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG)

What can YOU do to fight for abortion access after Dobbs?

UPDATE - Please Join our Emergency Call on Tuesday, 6/28 at 3pm ET - How Lawyers Can Fight for Abortion Access and Other Civil and Human Rights. This is an on-demand webinar and all registrants will receive a copy of the webinar (even if you’re reading this after 6/28).

The Supreme Court today ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade, an indefensible decision that strips away a fundamental and constitutional right to bodily autonomy. It’s a shattering blow that will harm millions and impact all of us. 

Half of the states in the U.S. are now likely to follow suit and severely restrict or ban abortion. As a result, even more people will be forced to travel hundreds of miles out of state or carry pregnancies to term against their will in violation of their human rights. 

Millions of individuals across the U.S. still need abortion care. The right to decide whether or when to have a child is essential for social, economic, and racial equality. 

DOING NOTHING IN THE FACE OF THIS DECISION IS NOT AN OPTION.

Here are 4 concrete things you can do to help fight for abortion access:

1. Get Informed: Learn what the Dobbs decision means for your state or territory. What is the current status of abortion access in your state? Do you know if your state has a pre-Roe ban on abortion that was never repealed and might be enforced once again? Does your state have a trigger ban that is intended to ban abortion if the Supreme Court limits or overturns Roe? To learn more about the status of abortion rights in your state or territory, we recommend two policy maps, one from the Center for Reproductive Rights and one from Guttmacher Institute here.
   

2. Volunteer your time and expertise to help protect abortions in your state. We must pursue proactive protections beyond the courts and focus our efforts on building power from the ground up, at the state and local levels. Below are a few ways you can do that.
   

   • If you’re a lawyer or a law student, sign up for L4GG’s new State Legislative Advocacy Academy, a first-of-its-kind training series for lawyers to learn how to use their unique skills and privilege to influence public policy in their home states. Members of our initial lawyer cohort will go through a multi-part training in the fall of 2022 ready to fight for abortion access and other key issues in their own state during the 2023 legislative session.
     

   • If you’re a lawyer at a large law firm, ask your pro bono coordinator whether your firm is a Pro Bono Partner of L4GG. If your firm is already a partner, there may be opportunities forthcoming for you to volunteer for abortion access projects that our policy team is working on. If your firm would like to learn more about partnering with us, please ask your pro bono coordinator to email us at probono@L4GG.org.
     

   • If none of the above opportunities is applicable to you, but you'd still like to help, make sure you’re on our email list and check the websites of some of our organizational allies for other ways to volunteer - The Brigid Alliance and the Center for Reproductive Rights are good places to start.
     

3. Donate to the L4GG Action Fund to advance state protections to abortion access and other issues of civil and human rights. L4GG is working on two fronts to protect abortion access and we need your support. First, we’re launching the above-mentioned Advocacy Academy this fall that will mobilize lawyers nationwide to influence public policy in their own states on issues like reproductive and racial justice. Second, we are working in coalition with leading abortion access groups to ensure they have the legal resources they need to enact new state-level protections of abortion care, including providing them with pro bono volunteers and trained state legislative advocates from our Advocacy Academy.
   

4. Support providers, patients, abortion funds, and clinics on the ground. If abortion is protected in your state, support your local providers with the resources they will need to serve out-of-state patients in light of Dobbs. If abortion is not protected in your state, consider supporting the Brigid Alliance or your local Abortion Fund to cover procedures, transportation, lodging, and more. The National Network of Abortion Funds is a great place to start.

If you’re unable to offer money, time, or expertise right now, you can still help by sharing this post with your friends, family, and contacts via email, Facebook, Twitter, or other social networks. Please help us get the word out. 

The L4GG Action Fund is a 501(c)4 nonprofit, and as such donations are not tax-deductible.

L4GG's Spring 2022 Newsletter is here!

We’re at a critical time in the fight for human rights — between the invasion of Ukraine, the legislative attacks on bodily autonomy and the worsening climate crisis, the situation seems dire. But I am heartened by the way the Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) community of lawyers and advocates has risen to meet the moment. 

For example, we’ve kicked off our TPS Pro Bono Project for Ukraine, we’re teaching municipalities how to access funding for green infrastructure, shedding light on corporal punishment in public schools and much more.

Take a look at our newsletter below to learn more, and if you want to help us continue this vital work, consider making a donation. 

Ukrainians Receive Free Legal Help to Apply for U.S. Immigration Status

Pro Bono Lawyers from 130 Major Law Firms and Companies Are Volunteering to Help Ukrainians in the U.S. to Apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and a broad coalition of 130 law firms and companies have partnered to launch the TPS Pro Bono Project for Ukraine, a nationwide pro bono remote legal clinic to provide legal services for Ukrainian nationals in the U.S. to apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). 

Interested Ukrainians who would like to request free legal assistance in filing for TPS should click HERE and fill out the online screening form: L4GG.org/TPS-Ukraine.

Eligible Ukrainian nationals will be offered free legal assistance from pro bono attorneys who can help answer legal questions and assist in applying for TPS. TPS is a form of immigration relief offered to foreign nationals in the United States whose home countries are considered unsafe, and provides the right to live and work in the United States for a temporary period. The Biden Administration designated Ukraine for TPS in early March of 2022, and has declared that Ukrainian nationals who entered the U.S. on or before April 11, 2022 are eligible to apply. 

The initiative has recruited more than 2,400 attorney volunteers. A full list of participating law firms and companies is below. Additionally, the clinic was launched with financial support from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Alston & Bird LLP, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, Comcast NBCUniversal, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, DLA Piper LLP US, Eversheds Sutherland, Fenwick & West LLP, Foley Hoag LLP, GE, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, K&L Gates, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, King & Spalding, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, Linklaters LLP, McGuireWoods LLP, Nelson Mullins, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, PayPal, Inc., Robins Kaplan LLP, Seyfarth Shaw, Sidley Austin LLP, Verizon Communications, White & Case LLP, and the Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation.

“TPS is an important tool to safeguard lives, increase economic stability, and keep families united during a time of unprecedented uncertainty for Ukrainians,” said Traci Feit Love, Executive Director of Lawyers for Good Government. “We are proud to mobilize the legal community in support of this project and are grateful to the 130 law firms and companies who are standing beside us to serve the Ukrainian community.”

“Ukrainians in the United States are facing a period of extreme instability, in which they cannot return to their home country, and do not know what they will find when they can eventually return,” said Jacqueline Haberfeld, Global Program Director and Pro Bono Counsel at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. “As lawyers, we feel fortunate to have the skills necessary to help relieve them of the burden of concern about their immigration status, and to be able to help them obtain permission to work and support themselves while they shelter in the United States during the war.”

The TPS Pro Bono Project for Ukraine is an initiative of L4GG’s Project Corazon, an immigrants’ rights program defending the rights of asylum seekers and other migrants. Project Corazon runs a legal clinic in the Rio Grande Valley that provides legal assistance to asylum seekers, with a focus on serving particularly vulnerable asylum seekers, such as those with medical or psychological conditions, disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and third-language speakers.  

If resources allow, L4GG hopes to expand the TPS Pro Bono Project for Ukraine to provide legal assistance to nationalities of other countries designated for TPS, such as Afghans, Haitians, Venezuelans, Cameroonians, and more. 

Full List of Participating Law Firms and Companies:

Akerman LLP

Alpert, Slobin & Rubenstein, LLP  

Alpha Medical

Alston & Bird LLP

Amgen

Arnold & Porter

Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP

BakerHostetler

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC

Blank Rome

Bloomberg

BNY Mellon

Brainly

Bristol Myers Squibb

Buckley LLP

Cable & Wireless Communications LLC

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft

Clark Hill PLC

Cohen & Siegel

Cohen Ziffer Frenchman and McKenna

Colgate-Palmolive Company

Comcast NBCUniversal

Crowell & Moring LLP

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Dechert LLP

DLA Piper LLP US

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Dykema

Elastic

Eversheds Sutherland

F5, Inc.

Fennemore

Fenwick & West LLP

Fidelity Investments

Fish & Richardson P.C.

Foley & Lardner LLP

Foley Hoag LLP

Ford Motor Company

Fragomen

Freshfields US LLP

GE

Goodwin Procter LLP

Hogan Lovells

Holland & Hart LLP

Hopin

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

IBM

Infineon Technologies

Intel

International Legal Counsels PC (d/b/a femida.us) 

Irwin IP LLC

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Jenner & Block LLP

JPMorgan Chase

K&L Gates

Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

King & Spalding

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

LinkedIn

Linklaters LLP

Loeb & Loeb LLP

Lyft, Inc.

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Mayer Brown LLP

McCarter & English, LLP

McDermott Will & Emery LLP

McGuireWoods LLP

Milbank

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P. C.

Nelson Mullins

Norton Rose Fulbright 

Orrick

Pacific Life Insurance Company

Paramount Global

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

PayPal, Inc.

Pfizer

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Pro Bono Strategies

Reed Smith LLP

RELX, Inc.

Robins Kaplan LLP

Robinson & Cole LLP

Ropes & Gray LLP

Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP

Seyfarth Shaw

Shearman & Sterling

Sheppard Mullin

Sidley Austin LLP

JM Family Enterprises, Inc.

Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP

State Farm

Steptoe & Johnson LLP

Stroock

USAA

Vault Health

Verizon Communications

White & Case LLP

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

###

Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) coordinates large scale pro bono programs and issue advocacy efforts to protect human rights and ensure equal justice under the law, and has a network of 125,000+ lawyers to assist in its efforts. 

Kirkland & Ellis is committed to providing legal services without charge to those who cannot afford counsel, with the goals of improving lives, bettering communities and deepening our attorneys’ professional experience. Kirkland attorneys at all levels pursue pro bono matters dealing with a variety of issues such as immigration, disability rights, civil rights, prisoner rights, death penalty cases and criminal appeals, guardianship, veterans’ benefits, and the representation of nonprofit organizations, among other areas. In 2021, Kirkland devoted more than 122,000 hours of free legal service to pro bono clients. Learn more about Kirkland’s commitment to pro bono and corporate social responsibility at www.kirkland.com/CSR.

TELL BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: Protect Ukrainians in the United States

In response to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, L4GG is working on two important fronts to ensure that the U.S. government protects Ukrainian nationals within the U.S. We invite you to join us today.

CALL FOR TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS (TPS) FOR UKRAINIANS IN THE US.

We’ve written a letter to President Biden, Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas, and Secretary of State Blinken urging them to designate the 30,000 Ukrainian nationals within the United States as eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), as well as Special Student Relief (SSR).  TPS provides protection from deportation and permission to work for eligible nationals of countries that have been designated temporarily too dangerous for return.

Join us today by calling directly on the Biden Administration to make this designation.

CLICK TO TWEET:

The serious and ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine is a humanitarian crisis. @POTUS @SecMayorkas must immediately designate TPS or DED and SSR for Ukraine. Read letter from @lawyers4goodgov calling for TPS: https://L4GG.org/TPS4UkraineLetter

A country reeling from military aggression is not appropriate for safe return! We urge @SecMayorkas to designate Ukraine for #TPS and protect 30,000 people from deportation. Read letter from @lawyers4goodgov: https://L4GG.org/TPS4UkraineLetter

COPY AND PASTE TO FACEBOOK:

A country reeling from military aggression is not appropriate for safe return! We urge President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas to designate Ukraine for #TPS and protect 30,000 people from deportation.

Read L4GG’s Letter Here: https://L4GG.org/TPS4UkraineLetter.

DEVELOPING RAPID RESPONSE PRO BONO PROJECT TO ASSIST UKRANIAN NATIONALS

Just as we’ve done in similar moments of crisis, we’re currently working in coalition with partner organizations to better ascertain the needs of Ukrainian nationals and determine how L4GG might be able to mobilize the legal profession to help at this moment. If TPS/DED status is granted to Ukraine, we intend to move very quickly to implement a new pro bono project to provide legal assistance. We have already begun building the infrastructure for this potential project and will keep you apprised as things develop.

Urgency to Continue Transitioning to Renewable Energy

The war in Europe also highlights the urgency for the US to transition to renewable energy sources and away from reliance on fossil fuels and petrostates like Russia. L4GG remains committed to helping localities transition to renewable energy, and you can learn more about our work doing so with our Climate Change program here. 

L4GG Celebrates Five Years With Event Series

In November of 2016, Traci Feit Love made a post on Facebook, as a lawyer, a parent, and a person uncertain about the future, and wanting to make change. When she made that post, she had no idea what that spark would ignite, and how many lawyers would respond. 

Now, five years later, Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) has grown into an organization with thousands of supporters like you, all across the country, who are working towards real change. We are lawyers, law students, and activists who believe in using our skills and expertise to build a better world, from the halls of legislation to making an impact on-the-ground.

L4GG would like to invite you to join us for a series of events to celebrate L4GG’s impact over the last five years, and share with you our vision for the future of L4GG. 

Check out the schedule of events here and click Follow Calender to register. You can attend as many events as you’d like — whatever works for your schedule. 

Can’t make an event? Register and we’ll send you the recording, that way you don’t miss out. 

From the bottom of my heart, L4GG thanks you for your continued support throughout the years. We hope you’ll join us to celebrate the future, and for whatever the next 5 years will bring.