CALL TO ACTION

Readers, this is why we are lawyers. To see wrongs, and make them right. 
This is an email from Ms. Arias from FACDL:

"There is simply no humane way to detain families. Asylum seeking families should be given due process, not expedited removal. And the end of the road must be the end of family detention entirely." - Victor Nieblas Pradis, Former AILA President

Dear Colleagues and Friends, 

No matter what your politics, it’s time to get out and help immigrant families. Also, beware of any proposed bills that claim to end family separation at the border. Many of the provisions in these bills specifically take away safeguards in the law to protect the children as we currently have in place and also EXTEND the period of CBP detention in “cages”, “chain-linked enclosures,” “chain-link fenced cells” from 72 hours to up to 30 days for children, no matter what the ages. What we need is boots on the ground both here in Miami at at the various border detention centers.

So many of you have reached out to me personally, by FB, by email, by phone, begging for information on how to help the families detained at the border. I want to provide you some quick ways to help both financially and with volunteer efforts. I will be putting together a training to held in July specifically for those who may wish to learn how to help and then take a 5-day trip to the Border Detention Centers to help on bond hearings, asylum interviews, case-prep, translation, etc. The 5-day trip is put together with the help of CARA — a collective made up of The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, the American Immigration Council, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Hence, the acronym CARA.

I sincerely hope you can either donate money, volunteer to work, volunteer to assist remotely (yes, that too can be done), and realize that help is also needed LOCALLY. Family separation happens in immigration court locally EVERY SINGLE DAY. Every day in immigration courts in BTC and Krome, Bond Hearings get denied and mothers and fathers are separated from their children for prolonged periods. This has a lasting negative impact on the children’s wellbeing, and on their development. If you are interested in volunteering at the local level, please sign up with AIJ here or with Catholic Legal Services of Miami here.

DONATION links:

American Immigration Council - https://secure.everyaction.com/Cjhao1htyUmOhRFAWamusQ2?ms=Council_Website or https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/donate

• CARA, the Family Detention Probono Project, a collective made up of The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, the American Immigration Council, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association

Americans for Immigrant Justice - http://www.aijustice.org/donate

Catholic Legal Services - https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=f_iJsm-FNVBEnsFOJ6bdGT1bV14YU6WasIWWWfP_W-9TZqQ--GMu0xSQ_059w9mZ0dhuI0&country.x=US&locale.x=US

IMPAC Fund - https://secure.squarespace.com/checkout/donate?donatePageId=5a3005dee2c483e801776a1e

If you are interested in volunteering to head to the border yourself, the CARA ProBono Project is always recruiting volunteers. They train you, they give you specific expectations, you work, then you leave the case and the next set of lawyers pick up where you left off. See below.

CARA Project is currently recruiting volunteers indefinitely.
The greatest need is for attorneys, law students, and paralegals with interest and experience in asylum work. The project also encourages and appreciates the participation of return volunteers from both Artesia and Dilley, with their vast experience working in a family detention setting. To provide effective assistance to our clients and to have a meaningful experience, we recommend volunteers to either be fluent in Spanish or consider collaborating with an interpreter. Compassion, endurance, resilience, flexibility, and the commitment to ending the insidious practice of family detention are required for every volunteer. To volunteer, please complete the Dilley Volunteer Sign-up Form. To learn more about the Dilley Pro Bono Project, and how you can help, please contact Volunteer Coordinator, Caya Simonsen at caya@caraprobono.org.

I hope this information is helpful to you. The criminal defense bar is in a particularly great position to help since you are all litigators and have a much better grasp of advocacy than some transactional attorneys who may have never been involved in adversarial hearings and the like.

God bless every one of you and I hope you will help in any way you can.

Best,

Maggie Arias Partner