June 2022 Client of the Month- YMM

June 2022 Client of the Month- YMM Our client of the month for June 2022 is YMM, who has been a client of Benach Collopy since 2013 and sought and was granted citizenship this winter.  In addition to being one of the loveliest people one could ever hope to meet, YMM is a Spanish national who worked with BC Partner Dree Collopy to seek lawful permanent resident status along with her husband.  She and her husband were granted green cards in 2015 based on an approved extraordinary ability (EB-1) petition. 

Client of the Month- May 2022- Lady!

Client of the Month- May 2022- Lady! Lady and her two boys! For our client of the month for May we have a perfect Client for Mother’s Day! Here we celebrate a woman who did what mothers do best- protect her children and create a better life for them. We are happy to share that Lady and her sons, Diego and Juan, were granted asylum! Ava Benach represented them before the immigration court in New York.

Client of the Month- April 2022- Edimilson!

Client of the Month- April 2022- Edimilson! This month, we are so pleased to celebrate our client Edimilson Mendes Ferreira, who just won his case to remain in the United States with his family after years of waiting in Immigration Court. Edimilson has lived in the United States for nearly two decades. In that time, he has raised two daughters and become a grandfather to three US citizen grandchildren. He has started his own successful housecleaning business, which he has now run for over a decade, servicing clients throughout the greater Washington region.

Client of the Month- March 2022- Azeb!

Client of the Month- March 2022- Azeb! Azeb and Dree Collopy We are happy to once again begin our client of the month series with a Dree Collopy victory! This month, we celebrate our client Azeb, who was granted asylum from Ethiopia after a long battle to obtain the safety in this country that she deserves. Azeb fled to the US after she had been wrongfully imprisoned in Ethiopia for standing up to government harm to journalists and political opponents.

Clients of the Month, May 2018: Marcelle de Lima and Luciano da Silva

Clients of the Month, May 2018: Marcelle de Lima and Luciano da Silva   Our May 2018 clients of the month are Marcelle de Lima and Luciano da Silva. Marcelle and Luciano are from Brazil and they came to the United States after the Brazilian economy started to decline in 2001 and they lost their jobs. When they came to the U.S., neither could speak English and they had to start their lives over from scratch. They were resourceful and determined to build a stable and happy life for themselves and their future children.

April 2018 Clients of Month Aldemar Segundo and Susan Matos

April 2018 Clients of Month Aldemar Segundo and Susan Matos We are thrilled with our April 2018 Clients of the Month, Aldemar Segundo and Susan Matos Segundo.  Aldemar became a permanent resident in March 2018 and can live securely with his U.S. citizen wife, Susan, and their two children.  Aldemar’s improbable journey is one of the most inspiring cases we have been a part of. When DACA was announced, Aldemar was like lots of other Central American immigrants without status in the U.S. 

Celebrating asylum in a country where it’s hard to come by

Celebrating asylum in a country where it’s hard to come by It can be so hard to stay positive as an immigration attorney in times like these. Every day, we face new assaults from the president, the attorney general, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice. This week, we learned that the attorney general is attempting to circumvent due process by telling immigration judges to reject asylum petitions without a full hearing if, upon initial review, they appear to be fraudulent or unlikely to succeed.

Client of the Month- March 2018- Yovanny Soto

Client of the Month- March 2018- Yovanny Soto   For March 2018, we want to highlight our clients, Yovanny Soto and Heidi Andrade, and their really cute kids.  On February 7, 2018, Yovanny was admitted to the U.S. as a permanent resident after living in the U.S. without status for 18 years. Since he was a child, Yovanny has worked while going to school to help his elderly parents provide for his 16 siblings.  After his father was murdered in Guatemala, Yovanny fled his home with the hope of safety and a better life.

Moving Uptown

Moving Uptown What a year! 2017 will go down as one of the weirdest years we can remember.  And for all the terrible news, we will remember this year as one of tremendous change and growth.  On December 22, 2017, we will officially occupy our new office space at 4530 Wisconsin Avenue.  While it is hard to leave downtown Washington DC, driving past the White House has lost nearly all of its charm this year. 

Client of the Month December 2017- Angie Salguero

Client of the Month December 2017- Angie Salguero This month, we are pleased to honor Angie Salguero as our Client of the Month. Angie, a transgender woman from El Salvador, won her case for asylum last month in front of the immigration judge in Baltimore, MD. Angie’s story of violence and persecution from a very young age included physical abuse by the police and gangs, the loss of family, a dangerous trip to the United States, and stay in immigration detention.