Local Law Firm Joins National Immigrant Justice Center to Raise Awareness, Recruit Pro Bono Attorneys

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The number of asylum-seekers living in northeast Indiana has grown steadily in recent months, and human rights advocates are concerned that a shortage of pro bono attorneys may leave many without legal representation.

For years advocates have encountered asylum-seekers in Indianapolis and in smaller enclaves in South Bend, but the recent influx of African refugees settling in Fort Wayne surprised legal aid organizations. Nearly all of these refugees are seeking protection from war and government-sponsored persecution in their own countries. Beginning early last summer, the asylum project of the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) in Chicago began receiving requests for assistance from Chadian asylum-seekers in Fort Wayne at a rate of nearly two a week. The numbers have tapered to about two a month, but the need for representation still outpaces the number of attorneys available to take on these cases. 

"Nearly every Chadian we've spoken to has a viable asylum claim," said Lisa Koop, supervising attorney for NIJC's asylum project. We've been inundated and we're feeling stretched to the limit in terms of resources."

Attorneys at NIJC are turning to Indiana lawyers to take on these complicated cases as volunteers. One Fort Wayne law firm, Baker & Daniels, has responded by helping to organize an asylum-law training course for attorneys.

"We have realized that there is a tremendous need for attorneys to help with asylum seekers in the Fort Wayne area," said Martha Lamert, a partner at Baker & Daniels. "Our hope is that some attorneys will, decide to take on a case on a pro bono basis and help some of these individuals with legal assistance."

The U.S. government does not provide legal counsel for immigration proceedings, and most asylum seekers cannot afford to hire their own attorneys. Most arrive in the United States with only a few possessions and a complex legal case. Research has shown that legal representation is essential in ensuring due process for asylum-seekers and securing protection for those who could face torture or death if they returned home.

The Fort Wayne course will take place November 10, and is open to attorneys throughout the area. For more information about this program and about NIJC's immigrant advocacy work in Indiana, please contact Tara Tidwell-Cullen, NIJC communications coordinator, at (312) 660-1337.

Asylum Facts

• 53,738 asylum seekers arrived in the United States in FY 2005. About 40% were from Africa; 28% were from Asia; 21% were from Europe; 12% were from the Caribbean; and 0.6% were from South America. (See the Department of Homeland Security 2005 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics.)

• 25,257 people were granted asylum in the United States in FY 2005.

• Asylum seekers who have legal representation are 5 times more likely to be granted asylum. (Syracuse University's TRAC Immigration Report shows that 36% of asylum seekers who have lawyers are granted asylum, while only 7% of asylum seekers without a lawyer are granted asylum.)