A NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDER
The beginning of 2021 has proven that much work lies ahead. From a violent insurrection born out of white supremacy to the border remaining closed to almost all asylum seekers, it is clear that those of us who value the rule of law and our democracy cannot afford to be complacent.
That’s why Lawyers for Good Government Foundation (L4GG) is continuing to defend the vulnerable and advocate for policies that protect us all. We’re mobilizing attorneys nationwide to call on the Senate to confirm civil rights leaders for key DOJ positions, roles that hold significant responsibility over civil rights and voting rights enforcement. We’re making sure asylum seekers who have been waiting in Mexico for years are welcomed into the U.S. with dignity and the legal counsel they need to move their cases forward. We’re helping local tribes in Wisconsin enforce tribal treaty rights that have been impacted by climate change and environmental injustice. And we’re continuing our fight for racial justice by focusing on key issues such as the role of police in schools.
I hope you’ll feel as proud as I do as you read this newsletter. We couldn’t do this work without supporters like you, and I can’t wait to see what else we’ll accomplish together.
PROJECT CORAZON
Project Corazon continues to play a critical role in ensuring the right to seek asylum on our southern border.
In November 2020, we helped launch a novel class action lawsuit to challenge the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) policy as discrimination on the basis of disability.
Between December 2020 and January 2021, we launched an emergency effort to fight new regulations that were a de facto ban on seeking asylum, filing completed I-589 asylum applications for 180+ asylum seekers.
In early 2021, we worked to ensure that hundreds of our MPP asylum seekers were safely paroled into the U.S. to await their immigration hearings.
Going forward, we’ll: 1) seek humanitarian parole for vulnerable asylum seekers who are otherwise subject to Title 42 and effectively barred from seeking asylum otherwise; 2) seek work authorizations for our MPP asylum-seeking clients now in the U.S.; and 3) ensure the most vulnerable of asylum seekers have the right to seek safety in our borders.
LAWYERS FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
L4GG staff and volunteers have focused efforts on three important issues in recent months:
POLICE IN SCHOOLS: Partnering with 20+ law firms, we’ve researched all 50 states’ approaches to the role of police in schools, we’re drafting a public report of our findings, and we’re working to update model legislation on the issue.
AGRICULTURAL CHILD LABOR: In the U.S., children as young as 12 can work seven days a week in the agricultural industry. We’ve partnered with the Child Labor Coalition and 15+ law firms to research, analyze, and synthesize findings regarding state laws around agricultural labor to investigate this crisis impacting children of color.
HOMEWORK GAP: We’re tackling the homework gap, or the gap in access to technology that is often a barrier to success in schools and is more pronounced in Black, Hispanic, and lower-income households. We are currently working with our pro bono partners to undertake significant research and analysis on this issue.
CLIMATE CHANGE
L4GG continues to assist cities with expediting their shift to 100% renewable energy. L4GG volunteers are fast becoming experts in producing practical, ready-to-use legal memos describing how municipalities can use Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs) and other tools to increase their renewable energy portfolios, even in more conservative areas where traditional utilities are most prevalent. We’ve produced detailed guidance for four states and provided training to over 34 municipalities (and counting) on the use of VPPAs.
In the last month, we’ve launched our first efforts at providing direct legal assistance to communities impacted by climate change, expanding the climate change program to focus on climate justice. We’re working with grassroots organizations in Wisconsin to help local tribes enforce tribal treaty rights that have been impacted by environmental injustice. And we’re working directly with community advocates in Michigan to provide legal research and analysis that will inform the fight for a guaranteed right to affordable, clean drinking water. We have also launched a nationwide research project to determine the state of affordable clean drinking water in all 50 states to consider state and national policies on the issue.
ANDRES’ STORY
Deaf and unable to communicate in standard sign language, Andres arrived in Brownsville in March 2020 fleeing persecution in his home country of El Salvador. He had traveled to the U.S. with his sister Alessandra and his 1-year-old niece. With Andres’ disability, Alessandra is the only person in the world with whom he can converse.
Despite these extreme vulnerabilities, Andres was turned away—denied his right to
protection while awaiting his asylum case. The family was detained by ICE for over a week before
being placed into the “Migrant Protection Protocols” program and unceremoniously dumped onto the streets of Matamoros. They were not given any food, water, or services from the American or Mexican governments. They were simply told to wait until the US was ready to hear their asylum claim. So they joined the thousands of others waiting for months and even years in the refugee camp in Matamoros.
L4GG filed a parole request for the family, advocating for their release into the U.S. Finally, after much persistence, our request was granted. The family spent 11 months in a tent, struggling to survive and waiting for assistance, and they could still be there, if not for the industrious, enduring work of our staff and volunteers.
INVEST IN HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUAL JUSTICE
Support our critical work on immigrants’ rights, climate change, racial justice, and other emergent legal issues. We count on your donations, large or small, one-time or monthly. L4GG Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit.
