Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. My husband and I like to spend it with friends and “America’s Favorite Pastime” at Nationals Park. After the ballgame comes more time with friends and family, grilling and a table full of food, juicy watermelon, red, white, and blue décor galore, laughter, and celebration of our country and our great fortune to be a part of it.
By Ana Sami and Brittni Downs, CUA Immigration Litigation Clinic Students
Our work with Joe* started with a bang. Our Immigration Litigation Clinic had just begun when we were assigned his case and told that he had a master calendar hearing scheduled within a few days. With the help of our supervising professors, Dree Collopy and Michelle Mendez, we rushed to prepare for our first court appearance.
Originally published on the AILA Leadership Blog
This is not just a blog post, but a call to action. Over the past six months, we have seen dog-and-pony hearings by Congress and a series of administrative changes to our asylum system that have deviated from the United States’ longstanding obligations under domestic and international law to the detriment of bona fide refugees. The most recent of these deviations is the U.S.
By Ana Victoria Perez and Elmer Martin Uribe, Student Attorneys with the CUA Immigration Litigation Clinic
“Asylum has been granted. Congratulations.” Those are the magic words that Judge David Crosland uttered on the morning of April 21, 2014. As he said those words, a flood of emotions overcame all of us. Happiness, relief, and excitement were felt throughout the small courtroom where Bill had just been granted asylum, twenty-three years after arriving in the United States.
With all the excitement and buzz about the new I-601A Provisional Waiver process, described in Benach Collopy’s live video chat and our previous posts, it is important to remember that what has changed for certain non-citizens and their family members is the procedure for applying for a waiver of inadmissibility, not the substance of the legal standard. I-601A Provisional Waivers of inadmissibility for unlawful presence in the United States will soon be available to assure family unity for certain eligible applicants who seek permanent resident status.
It isn’t only the holiday that is celebrated, the sweets that are eaten, the gifts that are given, or the resolutions that are made that defines this time of year; it is also family. Regardless of your religion, your nation of origin, or your profession, our common purpose this time of year is togetherness. Yet there are so many, no matter how strong their resolve, who are unable to realize that seemingly simple goal.
After years of statelessness, asylee and friend of Benach Collopy LLP, Sonya Kay (alias), kindly shares her thoughts and memories from her first time voting as a United States citizen:
“I think I will remember the day I became a U.S. citizen, October 21, 2010, for the rest of my life. I will remember that lump in my throat, tears pouring down my face when I took the oath of allegiance, the thought that I could apply for jobs that I couldn’t before, that I would finally be able to travel to the country that I came from–and the hope that I might not have to go through secondary inspection at the airport after visiting my siblings or friends in Europe–and that I would finally be able to participate in presidential elections in this country.
Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. My husband and I like to spend it with friends and “America’s Favorite Pastime” at Nationals Park. After the ballgame comes more time with friends and family, grilling and a table full of food, juicy watermelon, red, white, and blue décor galore, laughter, and celebration of our country and our great fortune to be a part of it. 
By Ana Sami and Brittni Downs, CUA Immigration Litigation Clinic Students
Our work with Joe* started with a bang. Our Immigration Litigation Clinic had just begun when we were assigned his case and told that he had a master calendar hearing scheduled within a few days. With the help of our supervising professors, Dree Collopy and Michelle Mendez, we rushed to prepare for our first court appearance. 
Originally published on the AILA Leadership Blog
This is not just a blog post, but a call to action. Over the past six months, we have seen dog-and-pony hearings by Congress and a series of administrative changes to our asylum system that have deviated from the United States’ longstanding obligations under domestic and international law to the detriment of bona fide refugees. The most recent of these deviations is the U.S. 
By Ana Victoria Perez and Elmer Martin Uribe, Student Attorneys with the CUA Immigration Litigation Clinic
“Asylum has been granted. Congratulations.” Those are the magic words that Judge David Crosland uttered on the morning of April 21, 2014. As he said those words, a flood of emotions overcame all of us. Happiness, relief, and excitement were felt throughout the small courtroom where Bill had just been granted asylum, twenty-three years after arriving in the United States. 
