Staff Presentation File — original pdf

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OUR WORK IN 2021 Joint Inclusion Committee WHO ARE WE? Serving the Austin community for over 30 years - since 1987 Originally known as the Political Asylum Project of Austin (PAPA) 501(C)(3) non-profit Providing immigration legal services, advocacy, and education WHAT DO WE DO?... Legal Representation ● Survivors of crime & family violence ● Asylum ● DACA ● Family-based Immigration ● Deportation defense Pro Se representation ● Translations ● Legal orientation at detention centers & Immigration Court ● Coordination of pro bono representation Outreach ● Legal clinics & workshops ● Community education for immigrant community & service providers 15,000+ We empowered over 15,000 individuals with legal information and services in 2021 - in 23 counties and four federal detention centers $800,000+ Over $800,000 worth of volunteer and pro bono attorney hours leveraged to assist our clients Mrs. S lives in Austin with her husband and young daughter. Originally from Iraq, Mrs. S is a legal resident and petitioned for her husband’s residency with American Gateways’ help. During the application process, Mrs. S worked seven days a week to avoid seeking public benefits, fearful that receiving benefits would negatively affect her husband’s pending case. Her husband, an electronic and electrical engineer by trade, was unable to legally work while his case was pending. American Gateways aided Mrs. S and her husband in navigating the restrictive Trump-era public charge rule; her husband was the first-named plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging the implementation of the rule. The new administration’s reversal of the public charge rule created a path for Mrs. S and her family. Now, her husband has his legal permanent residency. ASYLUM CLINICS FOR AFGHAN EVACUEES Central Texas anticipates welcoming over 1,000 Afghan evacuees in 2022, many whom will need legal support filing for asylum. In partnership with local non-profits, American Gateways will be offering free asylum clinics to Afghan families in 2022. A past asylum clinic, pre-COVID TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS (TPS) CLINICS In the fall 2021, we partnered with Casa Marianella to offer a Temporary Protected Status clinic for Haitians DACA CLINICS FOR DREAMers We have been offering virtual DACA clinics for eligible applicants. Our DACA renewal clinics pre-COVID. OUTREACH TO AUSTIN COMMUNITY DURING OUR 2021 CONTRACT WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN… ❏ 40 new individuals received legal representation, including 18 in removal proceedings, most of whom are asylum-seekers ❏ We continued legal representation for 140 individuals, including 88 in removal proceedings EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSES IN 2021 ❏ Asylum granted to a young Honduran man with autism ❏ Green cards granted to a Cameroonian mother and her two daughters, all asylees ❏ T-visas granted for a young girl and her derivative family members from Mexico. The young survivor testified at trial leading to the conviction of her perpetrators. Yesica has received legal representation from American Gateways since 2012 for her DACA status. Thank you for your partnership!