By Bina Hanchinamani-Ellefsen

“Asha” was a successful businesswoman, mother of five and political activist in her home country in East Africa. Although she grieved deeply over the death of her two elder brothers who were brutally gunned down for their pro-democracy work, Asha’s dreams for her country and the freedom of her people nonetheless inspired her to bravely speak out against the injustices perpetrated by her country’s government.

One day, while she was distributing literature at a democracy rally, she and her colleagues were arrested by government troops. With guns pointing menacingly in their direction, they were forced to walk many miles to a detention facility where the women were detained and interrogated in a dark room for hours.

Asha heard screaming from women in the other corner of the room. When the soldiers got to her, she understood why her colleagues had been screaming. The soldiers ripped off her clothes, verbally degraded her and then brutally gang-raped her.

Asha and her colleagues were released the next morning, but their lives were changed forever. Afraid for her life, Asha left her home country and sought refuge in the United States. Shortly afterward, she was diagnosed with AIDS, which left her with impaired speech and mobility and confined to a wheelchair.

If Asha had been forced to return to her home country, she would have literally died a painful death because she would have been tortured and killed for her political beliefs and activities, while lacking the medical care she needed to remain alive. Asha sought assistance from the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) in applying for asylum relief.

Attorneys at NWIRP worked with Asha to put her story in writing in the form of a detailed declaration, to prepare her to give testimony to an immigration officer and to assist her in gathering documentation that corroborated her claim. Asha went to the asylum interview with her attorney. Several weeks later, Asha received news that she was granted asylum protection in the United States and that she would not be sent back to the torture and death that awaited her in her home country.

Every year, dozens of NWIRP pro bono attorneys assist clients like Asha in obtaining immigration protection. Statistics demonstrate that the likelihood that Asha would have been granted immigration relief would have greatly diminished if she had not been represented by an attorney. In fact, only 3.4 percent of unrepresented detainees receive asylum.

Sadly, the great majority of low-income immigrants must face the legal system alone. Some statistics show that more than 85 percent of indigent immigrants facing deportation proceedings are unrepresented. Last year, NWIRP referred more than 160 cases to pro bono attorneys who ranged from solo practitioners to partners in large firms.

NWIRP’s pro bono pool includes seasoned immigration attorneys and attorneys who have never before worked on an immigration case. NWIRP provides detailed CLE opportunities throughout the year, a thorough referral memorandum and resource list for each case and ongoing technical assistance to each pro bono attorney who takes a NWIRP referred case.

Shauna Martin Ehlert, an attorney and pro bono coordinator in the law firm of Cozen O’Connor explained, “I regularly encourage my colleagues to take NWIRP pro bono cases and I can honestly tell them that they will never regret it.”

Helen Boyer, also an attorney at Cozen O’Connor, took a case recommended by Ehlert. After the case was completed and her client was granted asylum, Boyer said, “I knew next to nothing about immigration law when I decided to take a case. . . . I attended a well-run training in which helpful materials and forms were provided, and I was launched.

“As the matter progressed, I periodically sought advice from the attorneys at NWIRP, who were helpful and prompt. Working with them gave me the confidence to know I was handling the matter properly.”

If you or your firm are interested in learning more about pro bono opportunities through NWIRP, please contact Bina Hanchinamani Ellefsen, NWIRP pro bono coordinating attorney, at 206-957-8605 or bina@nwirp.org.