Project Corazon

A Day in the Life of an L4GG Volunteer: Observing Asylum Education at Betances Clinic

Written by Isabella Hussar, Project Corazon Volunteer

Yesterday, before heading to New York to observe an asylum education session at Betances Clinic, I spent the morning at home in New Jersey reading up on immigration news from the past couple of months. I learned about S.B.4, the proposed policy in Texas granting any police officer the power to arrest people suspected of being non-US citizens, and Biden's new plan to restrict immigrants seeking asylum only from the southern border. Both policies have been accused of being classist and racially motivated. I also read that a growing number of Americans fear immigration and perceive it to be a negative contributor to American society. It prompted my curiosity as to why America is so anti-immigration. 

My morning of scrolling through news of doom and gloom was then followed by a train ride into New York City, where I met Estuardo, a former asylum seeker and now Client Services Manager for L4GG and Jessica, an attorney for L4GG, at a Greek restaurant in Chinatown called Kikis. We were a few blocks from Betances, a health clinic that predominantly serves the transgender community. 

We arrived at the clinic greeted by Spanish speaking volunteers. The interior was clean and calm. People silently waited in the lobby. Art and plants hung on the walls. We stopped briefly so Jessica could change out of her practical walking shoes into a pair of emerald green high heels. 

Down the hall, I entered a small beige room with fluorescent lighting. Half the room held a kitchen with a few people organizing trays of hot food, the other half an area full of people sitting in folding chairs that centered around a TV. Many of the women in the room wore full faces of makeup, had brightly dyed hair, or outfits you might see on Miami Beach.

This was a safe place for freedom of self expression.

I caught everyone’s attention when I entered the room. I stood in awe as I stared back at a room of humans who had faced such adversity and still made it here. This was a room full of transgender women, who’ve fled their homes in other countries out of fear for their safety, and made it to New York. 

When someone seeks asylum, they have left their homes and are in need of protection from persecution and serious human rights violations. Here, in lower Manhattan, these people were free to be themselves. There I was, having grown up just across the Hudson river, meeting a room full of people who endured things to be here I couldn’t even consider in my realm of possibility. 

After I gave an introduction of myself in the best Spanish I could muster on the spot, I sunk into the background — my job was only to observe. Whenever a new person walked through the door, the others in the room embraced them with love. The women here had formed a tightly knit community, one that made up a group of people who were smiling, laughing, and chatting. Before the presentation began, Estuardo read out a list of rules posted on the wall. He told everyone to silence their phones, not talk over the presentation, wait to ask questions at the end. Watching them reminded me of sitting in a high school classroom. 

When the presentation started, the hush of chatter came to a lull. The TV lit up with the words “Cinco Caminos Hacia El Asilo” which means “Five Steps To Take To Asylum.” 

Estuardo and Jessica spoke about the process of getting asylum and went over things to keep in mind for their cases. They explained how America has a separation of church and state and how the church cannot control government decisions. Priscilla, another attorney for L4GG who is overseeing my internship, tells me that many immigrants assume the laws in the U.S. will be similar to the laws in South America.

When the presentation ended, the woman stood around chatting and eating chicken, rice, and beans. Someone appeared with a birthday cake and presented it to a volunteer. A woman wearing an orange sundress and dangling earrings approached me with a smile. She wants to go to law school one day, she told me, and wondered if I knew of any good law schools in the city. 

During the presentation, Estuardo had explained how personal identity was important to winning a case. It felt as if these asylum seekers were all preparing to apply to colleges, and needed to create a resume that showcased them as a person. Later, Priscilla explained to me that individualism is important to winning a status of asylum because the laws in America are interpreted on a case-by-case basis. 

When I asked Priscilla why she thought so many Americans feared immigration, she told me people form opinions either out of love or hate. When you are standing in that clinic, surrounded by the people there, it is impossible to feel the latter.

L4GG Celebrates Becky Teiwes as Volunteer of the Month

We are excited to introduce Becky Teiwes as our June Volunteer of the Month! Becky’s exceptional dedication has been instrumental in supporting our mission. From providing essential services at detention centers to assisting with local clinics for documented and undocumented immigrants, Becky’s contributions have made a tangible impact on the communities we serve. Read on to learn more about Becky’s inspiring journey and her invaluable work with Project Corazon.

 

Meet Becky Teiwes - From Classroom to Borderlands Advocacy

With a background in education, Becky spent many years teaching high school Spanish in Massachusetts, integrating lessons on human rights and migration into her curriculum. However, her drive to create a more direct impact inspired a profound shift in her career and life, leading her to the US-Mexico border in October 2021. Becky is currently the Borderlands Program Coordinator for the Mennonite Central Committee. 

A Journey Rooted in Compassion and Action 

Becky’s transition from the classroom to the frontlines of humanitarian work was sparked by a deep-seated need to be physically present where the need was greatest. 

I was teaching about the border and our response to it, feeling increasingly disconnected from the very issues I was passionate about,” she explained.

Motivated by the zero-tolerance policy and the devastating impact of family separations, Becky decided it was time to move beyond the theoretical and engage directly with the humanitarian challenges at the border.  Reflecting on her career shift, Becky shared: 

I just got tired of teaching about the border and about US foreign policy in Central America and…feeling like there was something we needed to do as a country…we moved to the US-Mexico border in October of 2021. I would say in response to child separation… zero-tolerance policy, I think that was really the straw that broke the camel’s back for me.
 

Discovering L4GG and Making a Difference

In 2021, while researching ways to volunteer, Becky found L4GG and signed up to support Project Corazon, an L4GG program created to defend the rights of migrants in the face of inhumane immigration policies, despite her limited legal background. She soon found her passion,  helping newly arrived immigrants on humanitarian parole with arrival logistics. 

“Even small tasks like making phone calls or translating documents can make a big difference,” she said. 

Becky’s ability to seamlessly integrate her skills into the volunteer efforts has made her an invaluable part of the L4GG family.

A Look at Becky’s Achievements

After a year of legal advocacy, Marc was finally reunited with his family on Christmas Eve.

One of Becky’s most significant experiences was her involvement in the defense of a Haitian man, referred to as “Marc” for confidentiality. Marc’s case, involving torture in Mexico, required extensive effort from the L4GG team. This client had been separated from his family and was stuck at a for-profit detention center. For nine months Becky was one of the only people able to visit him during this time. Becky witnessed the entire process, from meeting Marc in Reynosa to attending his trial.

“Seeing him shackled during his trial was a stark reminder of the injustices within the for-profit prison system,” she recalled.

Becky is why we have been as successful as we have been. She is willing to enter dark, cold, and often threatening facilities in order to connect directly with a client. She tells their stories. She carries their wounds on her shoulders. She is willing to put herself out there simply because she thinks that there is a better way. She hasn’t given up hope that this country and our laws can be fair. Whenever I am convinced that my team is alone, there is Becky, reminding me that there is still a fight worth fighting.”
— Priscilla Orta, L4GG Director of Project Corazon

Personal Growth Through Volunteering 

Volunteering with L4GG has profoundly impacted Becky. “It has illuminated injustices I’ve only read about before. Seeing them firsthand, despite being difficult, is incredibly important,” she explained. Becky believes that physical proximity to these issues helps volunteers truly understand and advocate for change. 

Becky’s Advice to Future Volunteers

Becky encourages anyone considering volunteering to remember that every contribution counts. 

“There is no offering too small. Even if it’s an hour of your time, it can make a significant difference.”

She also highlights the importance of recognizing one’s privileges and capacities, urging others to contribute in ways that fit their circumstances. While Becky is deeply committed to her work, she acknowledges the support of her spouse and the logistical advantages that allow her to volunteer. 

I have a supportive husband and a part-time job which enables me to engage in this work. I am not some wonderful, amazing person; I am privileged to be able to do this,” she humbly shared.


As we celebrate Becky Teiwes this month, we highlight her individual contributions and the broader impact of our volunteers who dedicate their expertise to significant causes. Becky’s work with L4GG exemplifies how dedicated legal professionals can drive systemic change and create a sustainable future.

  1. If you know of another incredible pro bono volunteer, nominate them for our Pro Bono Volunteer of the Month award here!

  2. If you’re interested, consider how you might also make a difference through your skills and passions!

L4GG: Biden’s Border Shutdown Draws From Trump’s Muslim Ban and Threatens Human Lives

L4GG: Biden’s Border Shutdown Draws From Trump’s Muslim Ban and Threatens Human Lives

L4GG denounces the executive order from the Biden administration that aims to effectively shut down the U.S. border to asylum seekers. This measure, which was just announced today on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, draws from the same legal framework as Trump’s notorious Muslim Ban and poses a severe threat to the rights and safety of countless vulnerable individuals.

L4GG: New Proposed Asylum Restrictions Threaten Vulnerable Lives and Undermine Legal Protections

Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), the nation’s largest community of attorneys committed to human rights and equal justice for all, strongly opposes the Biden administration's latest proposed changes to the U.S. asylum system. These modifications drastically increase the vulnerability of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, representing a continuation of restrictive practices that put access to asylum increasingly out of reach.

The new rule proposed by the administration would allow asylum officers, who are not typically lawyers or judges, to determine a person's ineligibility for asylum during preliminary screenings—decisions that could lead to swift deportations without adequate legal representation or a fair hearing. This approach starkly contrasts with previous practices that ensured asylum seekers could argue their cases in a comprehensive manner, safeguarding against wrongful deportations.

"These changes are not just administrative tweaks; they are life-threatening alterations to a system meant to offer refuge to individuals at their most vulnerable moment," said Priscilla Orta, Director of Project Corazon at Lawyers for Good Government. "Denying people their right to a fair process, with adequate time to obtain legal counsel and present critical evidence, is contrary to the principles of justice and humanity that our asylum laws are founded upon."

In conjunction with this rule, which will be finalized after a public comment period that ends June 12, 2024, new internal guidelines and a memo advocating the use of classified evidence in asylum decisions further obscure transparency and due process. This memo permits immigration officers to consider secret evidence against asylum seekers, often without the possibility of rebuttal or even disclosure that such evidence is being used. This practice sets a dangerous precedent, undermining the integrity and fairness of the U.S. legal system.

Project Corazon has witnessed first-hand the dire situations of asylum seekers who have been affected by stringent border policies. Many families and individuals fleeing extreme dangers possess valid asylum claims that are dismissed or overlooked due to rushed and unjust processes.

Lawyers for Good Government calls on the Biden administration to honor its campaign commitments and executive orders by rescinding these harmful measures and instating a fair and humane asylum process. These changes not only jeopardize the lives of those seeking sanctuary but also diminish the United States’ standing as a beacon of hope and safety.

A Law Student's Journey at the Border with Project Corazon

Written by Tamara Shamir, JD Candidate at Harvard Law School

Halfway through law school, my best law school friend and I drove to the Texas-Mexico border with another student for “J-term” – a brief internship with Proyecto Corazon (Project Corazon) at Lawyers for Good Government. I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I had heard a lot about my supervisor, Priscilla Orta, and admired her mix of aggressive border patrol watchdog and responsive community lawyering. But I questioned what, exactly, a law student could do to join her, especially with so little time. 

The answer was a lot – far more than I could have imagined.

I won’t try to give a full account of the days I spent there – intensely engaging, at times infuriating, often wildly joyful. I volunteered in the welcome center; I received intensive, lengthy, and highly useful lectures from Priscilla; I provided – together with my friend – direct service to asylum seekers. Above all, I regained my conviction about the value of community lawyering. 

It’s easy to lose conviction in law school. The law is murky, ambiguous, and often used as an instrument of evil, not good. Lawyers enable and advance a system so procedurally unwieldy and ornate that it is difficult to see lawyering as anything but the entrenchment of inaccessibility, or the entrenchment of hierarchies in accessibility. 

But when my friend and I had finished our first discrete legal task – a work permit application, submitted online  – all the uncertainties and intellectualizing fostered by law school faded. I remember it well – we were eating waffles covered in dulce de leche, somewhat elated. The work permit had felt critical, and its submission was a step forward – our client did not have a safe housing arrangement and had already been exploited for labor because of it. The work permit would open a pathway to formal work, higher wages, and, we hoped, to eventual safety and stability. 

“It’s just – it’s so doable,” my friend said – of the application we had submitted (although it had taken four hours working together to figure out the opaque online portal), of providing direct service, of ameliorating emergencies, of obtaining small and crucial remedies. “It’s so deeply doable.”

To my surprise, I felt a tremor of pleasure, followed by sudden grief.

“I know,” I managed to respond.

It’s just so deeply doable, the work. By doable, I don’t mean easy;  it’s hard, by design, choked by difficult procedural constraints that I’ve learned to conceptualize as a bureaucratic border wall, a guarantee that people without legal counsel cannot make it on their own. It’s so hard, I sometimes remind myself, that the same people who had the resourcefulness, resilience, and sheer will to make journeys across multiple countries –  journeys whose difficulties often stretch well beyond the limits of my imagination – can very rarely gain access to the remedies they need to secure their safety.  

But it’s workable. One by one, case by case, you can chip holes into the bureaucratic wall and carve out a pathway to the legal relief people need. There are no kaleidoscoping normative results; there is no analysis of the entrenchment of hierarchy through procedure.

On the ground, there’s an individual or a family and a set of discrete actions that need taking. Action—good action—is doable. There’s also a grief to it – the doability – because it so rarely gets done.

“I don’t understand what people do without lawyers,” my friend said almost daily during our time at the border; the answer being, of course, that they never gain access to rights and remedies.

I was reminded, vividly, of what drove me to law school in the first place  – the steepness of the immigration system, the scale of need, the possibility of frontline, direct relief – for a long time. 

It took just a few days at the border to bring me back to the revelation that drove me to law school in the first place (and to undo the effects of its pedagogy): to grasp, viscerally, the realness of systems, the possibility of forging narrow paths through them, and the worth of doing so.

I am beyond grateful to Proyecto Corazon for reminding me of what it means to build community power, and of the possibility and importance of tearing small holes into the bureaucratic wall. 

Falsely Imprisoned in Haiti, Tortured in Mexico, Detained in Texas: One Client’s Journey to Asylum

Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) is proud to announce a significant victory in our ongoing mission to fight for the right to asylum. Today, we celebrate our client Marc’s¹ victory. Project Corazon, along with its partners, fought for almost a year to free this man who only wished to find a safe place to live his life. He is now reunited with his family after almost a year and a half of separation and nine months of detention.

This is the first in a series about fighting for asylum seekers, the cruelties of the system, and the impact it has on those fighting the system.

False Imprisonment in Haiti and Torture in Mexico

January 2023: Initial Contact

Project Corazon received distressing images showing Marc with severe injuries from a kidnapping and torture in Mexico.

In January 2023, our team met a man who would show us all the trials and tribulations of the current US asylum system. Marc, a Haitian asylum seeker, had been subjected to unthinkable trauma, including abuse in his home country and then kidnapping and torture in Mexico. When we met him, he was stuck in Mexico, recently freed from his abusers, and unable to access the US asylum system.

Jessica Riley, Project Corazon staff attorney, took on Marc’s case from the beginning, from when we were seeking a humanitarian parole exemption to Title 42, to the final hearing deciding whether or not Marc would be granted asylum, navigating the complex asylum process with determination and legal acumen. At every turn, we faced barriers that even Priscilla Orta, our Director with over 12 years of immigration law experience, had never seen.

In a pivotal moment in March 2023, Marc's story was brought to the public eye through a story in the Washington Post, amplifying the urgent need for reform in the asylum process at the US-Mexico border. Comprehensive documentation of Marc’s dire situation and persistent legal advocacy from the Project Corazon staff eventually led to a breakthrough.

In March, Marc was finally granted entry into the U.S. to pursue his asylum claim, but his journey was far from over.

Unfortunately, DHS detained him and sent him to a detention center in Laredo where he would remain, away from his family, for the next nine months while he prepared for his case to be heard in front of a judge. Jessica and Priscilla represented him during his Credible Fear Interview, which he passed. However, his parole was denied time and again by DHS, meaning he was stuck in a for-profit detention center, resembling a jail. For the next nine months, Jessica and our volunteer Becky were the only people able to visit him during that time. Together, our team continued to provide unwavering support, legal guidance, and representation, getting him ready to tell his story and fight for a final ruling in his case.

9 Months Later: Marc’s Trial

December 2023: Post-Trial: Family Reunion and Reflection

After a year of legal advocacy, Marc was finally reunited with his family on Christmas Eve.

After months of fighting for basic rights–from the right to sit with our client to the right to have him in court before the judge–the trial came days before the holidays in December 2023. Our team was shocked when we arrived at court; despite this being a civil proceeding, we found Marc shackled hands to waist, waist to feet, in an orange jumpsuit, and with two armed guards standing over him. We objected to this behavior, but Marc, forever stoic, simply asked us to let the trial begin.

Despite being under immense pressure, Marc delivered powerful testimony about the harrowing experiences he had overcome and why his claim of persecution was valid. His testimony, along with his legal team's staunch defense led to a miracle–in a court with a 3-5% win rate, we won, ensuring Marc would not be returned to any place he feared. With this decision, Marc was finally released and reunited with his family on Christmas Eve.

Marc’s eventual reunion with his family marked not only a personal triumph but also a significant victory for L4GG and Project Corazon. It underscored the critical importance of legal advocacy in protecting the rights and dignities of asylum seekers.

The Fight For Asylum Is Far From Over

This case sheds light on the broader challenges within the immigration system and reinforces the necessity for a more humane and equitable approach. Marc only won his case because he was the fortunate recipient of a pro bono lawyer who was willing to spend countless hours fighting for him when others had written him off. The vast majority of immigrants, particularly detained immigrants, do not have access to attorneys in their asylum cases. L4GG is proud to have represented Marc, but we also know we cannot represent every asylum seeker who we meet because there simply aren’t enough Jessica’s to go around. Instead, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to providing legal support and advocacy for those who are most vulnerable and in need of protection. 

As we celebrate this victory, we also recognize the ongoing struggles faced by countless others in similar situations. Marc's story is a powerful reminder of the impact that dedicated legal advocacy can have and the importance of continuing our fight for justice and human rights.

Join L4GG as we continue to champion the rights of asylum seekers like Marc. Here’s how you can help:

  1. Donate to Project Corazon: The more money we raise, the more we can represent asylum seekers like Marc.

  2. Volunteer with Project Corazon: We could never have done this without help from volunteers. If you are interested in helping with anything from writing supportive letters to our clients to fighting an asylum case with us there to guide you, please sign up here.

  3. Share this story: The world is filled with negative stories of asylum seekers. Show those closest to you a counter-narrative--the story of a man whose story starts with torture and ends with reunification with his family on Christmas.

  4. Contact your elected officials: Call your elected officials on EVERY level and let them know that YOU support immigrants. Your local officials need to know your opinions as every city faces difficult decisions ahead.


¹ Name changed to protect identity.

Trading Lives for Funding: L4GG Condemns the Proposed Exchange of Asylum Rights for Military Aid

Washington, D.C. - Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), a leading non-profit organization that mobilizes legal support for asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border and throughout the country, vehemently opposes the Senate supplemental funding bill that would violate the due process rights of asylum seekers, exacerbate humanitarian conditions on the border, and dangerously restrict access to the asylum system in the United States. These immigration proposals, which are part of a deal tied to foreign military funding, threaten to deny the freedom, protection, and lives of countless immigrants while expanding deportations.

These proposed legislative changes include the following harmful provisions:

  • A new Title 42-like expulsion authority, mandating that asylum seekers be turned away from our borders and barred from commencing an asylum claim based on border “trigger numbers,” or quotas

  • Dismantling of due process for asylum seekers via a new fast-tracked system for asylum processing at the border, under surveillance and with no judicial review

  • Heightened standards and new bars to eligibility at threshold asylum screenings, which will cause passage rates to plummet and return legitimate asylum seekers to life-threatening situations

Priscilla Orta, Supervising Director of Project Corazon at Lawyers for Good Government, states, “Removing judicial review and the ability to appeal from asylum decisions is a grave violation of due process rights for a proceeding that has the highest possible stakes - life or death. This is just one of many threats to the fundamental principles of human rights present in the Senate supplemental funding bill, which will certainly disproportionately endanger the lives of Black, Indigenous, LGBTQI+, women, and children asylum seekers. These measures are not about enhancing border security but about closing our doors to those in dire need of sanctuary."

Estuardo Cifuentes, a Guatemalan asylum seeker and Client Manager of Lawyers for Good Government’s Project Corazon, further emphasizes, “The proposed legislation is a step in the wrong direction and instead marks a disturbing escalation beyond even what we saw under the Trump Administration. We must remember these policies will impact real people fleeing persecution and danger, people in extremely vulnerable conditions who have stories, dreams, and the fundamental right to seeking safety. As a nation, we have the power and responsibility to offer more than just shelter. Any immigration reform should align with our deepest values ​​and our long-term commitment to justice and humanity.”

Nearly 200 organizations, along with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and multiple Senators, have raised alarms about these proposals. They stand in solidarity with L4GG in urging Congress and the White House to reject these inhumane measures that compromise the very essence of the U.S. asylum system.

Priscilla Orta concludes, "We call on Majority Leader Schumer, President Biden, and Congress to stand firmly against these efforts to end asylum in the supplemental funding bill and instead uphold our moral duty to protect refugees and asylum seekers.”

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

Changing Asylum Standards Would Return Refugees to Persecution and Death

Changing Asylum Standards Would Return Refugees to Persecution and Death

As negotiations on President Biden’s supplemental funding request continue in the U.S. Senate this week, Lawyers for Good Government strongly opposes a reported deal that would gut the U.S. asylum system, create chaos at the border, and return refugees to danger and death.

The Making of a Front Page Story

On Sunday, March 12, the Washington Post ran a front page story about the physical hardships and digital hurdles facing asylum seekers in northern Mexico as they attempt to access our asylum system. The piece tells the story of a number of our clients in Reynosa and Matamoros, including victims of torture, families with young children, and others who are forced to rely on a glitchy smartphone app called CBP One to schedule their initial appointments with CBP at ports of entry. Because the app is so unreliable, they are stuck in dangerous, squalid conditions in border cities in Mexico, risking their life every day they are unable to secure an appointment. 

A front-page story about Project Corazon’s clients and their difficulties access the asylum system.

 

If you haven’t yet read the story, please do - it’s an incredibly important piece about a human rights crisis that deserves your attention. In this post, however, we thought we’d provide a behind the scenes look into the work that led to the Washington Post story. 

 

BACKGROUND

In January 2023, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began requiring asylum seekers to apply for an appointment via the CBP One app before they reach a port of entry. In doing so, the agency stopped allowing pro bono attorneys, like Project Corazon staff and volunteers, to advocate directly on migrants’ behalf for humanitarian exemptions to the process. Now, asylum seekers are left to fend for themselves navigating an app whose terms and conditions and error messages are only in English, and which runs out of appointments in minutes.

At L4GG, we were seeing firsthand what impact this change had on our clients: they were stuck in ever worsening conditions in refugee camps in border cities in Mexico, trying desperately to find sufficient technology and wifi to access an appointment via a smartphone app. We met an asylum seeker who was severely injured while trying to find a wifi signal and others could only secure one appointment for their family, so were forced to choose between seeking asylum or separating their family. 

The situation was already bleak, and yet last month the Biden Administration proposed a new asylum rule that could make things even worse. The new proposed rule, which if allowed goes into effect in May 2023, proposes that asylum seekers figure out how to use this app, or face a presumption that they are ineligible for asylum. We knew that to have a chance at making a change, we had to get the story into the mainstream, so people across the country would better understand the real-world implications of what is being proposed.

 

Initial Conversations

L4GG sent a communication to a number of immigration reporters about the Biden Administration’s newly proposed asylum rule as well as difficulties our clients were having with the CBP One app. Washington Post’s Arelis Hernández replied and asked if we had any specific client stories we’d be willing to share, as an exclusive, with the Washington Post. 

We spent a number of days talking to our clients in Matamoros and Reynosa, vetting who would be a good candidate to talk to the media and finding out who was willing to share his or her individual story. Our clients are our heroes, so it’s no surprise that a number of them wanted to help advocate against these policies and get the word out. A handful of them said yes, and we let Arelis and her team know.

 

Coordinating a Border Trip

The Washington Post generously offered to put their weight behind this reporting by sending Arelis to Mexico as well as a photographer and videographer. To cross the border into these border cities is no easy feat. In Matamoros, a group of 4 U.S. citizens were recently kidnapped, and two of them were killed. In Reynosa, the cartels regularly wage violence.

We worked to make sure the Washington Post team had sufficient security crossing into the border and acted as their guides on the ground. At L4GG, we have worked in these spaces for years and have a number of partners on the ground, such as the Sidewalk School and a number of refugee shelters, who make it possible for our staff and volunteers to cross to meet with clients. We couldn’t have done this without them and their work is, rightfully, featured in the story as well. 

We introduced them to partner organizations and asylum seekers from all walks of life, who graciously shared their stories. The Post captured photos of the conditions our clients are living in, which are dutifully documented in the final story. They also produced a short video overview of the issue. 

After extensive fact-checking, the story was published this past Saturday, March 11, 2023 online and on Sunday, March 12, 2023 in print version of the Washington Post. 

We’re thrilled with the final product and are so grateful to Arelis Hernández for her tireless reporting and to the Washington Post for publishing such an impactful piece. We hope you’ll take the time to read it and share it with your friends and family.

 

How You Can Help

We hope you’ll make your voice heard on this issue and consider submitting a comment against the proposed asylum rule that would make conditions on the border even more hopeless. We put together a webinar on the topic and resources on how to submit a comment here

Last, but not least, we hope you’ll consider supporting our ability to continue doing this impactful work on behalf of asylum seekers and other communities facing insurmountable hurdles, by donating to L4GG here.

 

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)