asylum Archives - Page 2 of 3

Whitman Walker Health Presents Ava Benach with Fenner Award for Public Service

May 24, 2017

Earlier this month, Ava Benach received the Fenner Award for Public Service from Whitman Walker Health Legal Services. She got it for doing what she does best-- winning cases! The award recognizes the unique relationship...

Benach Collopy Asylum Summer Fellowship 2017

March 27, 2017

The Benach Collopy Asylum Summer Fellowship 2017 I have been so lucky to get to know so many brave, hard-working, family-oriented, and generous people from all over the globe. They all shared one thing in...

Clients of the Month February 2017- Karla and Anthony Duran

February 7, 2017

During these difficult times for our country, when the Trump Administration has suspended the refugee resettlement program and attempted to paint all refugees as terrorists and security threats, Benach Collopy has continued the fight for...

Clients of the Month- October 2016: 5 Child Refugees!

October 20, 2016

[caption id="attachment_1735" align="alignright" width="324"] Liana Montecinos[/caption] This post was written by Liana Montecinos. Thirsty, hungry, at the brink of exhaustion, and with fear of violent deaths looming large back home is how many Central American...

Guest Blog Post: CUA Law Students Win Asylum for a Salvadoran Mother Who Fell Victim to Gang Violence

August 1, 2016

This post is by Tagreed "Tina" Nafisi and Junou Odige, law students at Catholic University. In October, when we met Martha* we could not even begin to fathom the endless hurdles we might have to...

Why Should Congress Support the Refugee Protection Act of 2016?

July 28, 2016

“We live in the age of the refugee, the age of the exile.” Ariel Dorfman (Argentine-Chilean playwright, academic and human rights activist) By Satsita Muradova If someone asked me what was the most difficult decision...

My Summer Working on Transgender Asylum Cases at Benach Collopy and Whitman Walker Health

July 25, 2016

[caption id="attachment_2697" align="aligncenter" width="458"] Benach Collopy and Whitman Walker partners.[/caption] This summer, I have had the great privilege of working for Benach Collopy on transgender asylum cases as the Fellow for Trans Asylum. Through a...

Orlando: Does Asylum Matter for LGBT Latinx?

June 13, 2016

The heartbreak, grief and anger is overwhelming. Fifty people murdered by someone who hated LGBT people more than he loved his own son. On Sunday morning in Orlando, Florida, young people, mostly Latinx ("Latinx" is...

Client of the Month June 2016- Julia Marquez

June 7, 2016

Our client of the month for June 2016 is Julia Marquez. Ms. Marquez fled her native Venezuela with her son after suffering systematic and targeted attacks by the Venezuelan government and the government-backed paramilitary groups. ...

GUEST BLOG: “More Than a Grade: How our Salvadoran Asylum Client Taught us What it Takes to be an Attorney” by Abdulmajeed Alhogbani, with contributions by Barrett Bles, Recent Graduates of the CUA Columbus School of Law

June 6, 2016

"Ok, I'd be willing to stipulate to humanitarian asylum." We were approximately 30 minutes into the recess the Immigration Judge took, during which we were supposed to negotiate a favorable solution for our client, when...

Introducing our Fellow for Trans Asylum Issues and Celebrating Thirty Years of Whitman Walker Health Legal Services

May 22, 2016

[caption id="attachment_2697" align="aligncenter" width="458"] Naya, Celina, Liana, Ava and Cori and Amy from Whitman Walker[/caption] This is a big week at Benach Collopy as a number of important projects are coming together and we are...

Clients of the Month March 2016- Mekonnen and Hanna Firew

March 8, 2016

Our client of the month for March 2016 is Mekonnen Firew. Mekonnen and his wife Hanna are two of the strongest, most resilient people we have ever worked with at Benach Collopy. They fled Ethiopia...

Benach Collopy Announces Summer Fellowship for Law Students Interested in Trans Asylum Issues

March 7, 2016

I have been so lucky to get to know so many brave, hard-working, family-oriented, and generous people from all over the globe. They all shared one thing in common: a willingness to...

Dree Collopy on Central American Refugees and Asylum Law

February 12, 2016

Writing in today's Leadership Blog from the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Dree Collopy explains the fundamentals of asylum law the critics, journalists, and politicians fail to understand: Any refusal to recognize gender-motivated violence such as...

Client of the Month January 2016- Monique Kagayigayi

January 12, 2016

Our Client of the Month for January 2016 is Monique Kagayigayi. A survivor of the Rwandan genocide whose asylum claim was granted in 2004, Monique just received her green card after more than 10 years...