Volunteers Needed for SE Immigrant Freedom Initiative
Dec. 12, 2017
The Trump administration is shredding civil rights protections in our country – and there’s one group that’s suffering the most: immigrants caught up in the president’s cruel deportation dragnet.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests have increased by 40 percent this year, and tens of thousands of men and women are being held behind bars as they await deportation proceedings. Many of them have meritorious claims, but few have access to quality legal counsel. Needless to say, their due process rights are being trampled.
Not only are families being torn apart but some immigrants could face death if deported.
That’s why we created the Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative (SIFI), an SPLC project that provides pro bono representation to immigrants detained in the Southeast. It’s the largest deportation-defense program in the country that is funded and operated by a non-profit organization.
While we’ve hired numerous attorneys, the need is so great that we need volunteers.
If you’re an attorney, law student, or fluent in English and another language, just one week of your time could help save a life. Please consider volunteering. Experience in immigration law is not required.
If you’re unable to volunteer, please share this email with someone who you think would be interested.
Immigrants with legal representation are 10 times as likely to succeed in their cases as those who represent themselves. For those seeking asylum because of persecution in their home countries, having an attorney can mean the difference between life and death.
By volunteering just one week of your time, you’ll help protect the right to due process that’s under assault by the Trump administration, ensure fair and humane treatment of people in the legal system, and make your mark on history.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to help those in need.
Sincerely,
Your friends at the SPLC
P.S. Have questions? Please see our FAQ.