August 2017 Client of the Month- Milan Stankovic

August 2017 Client of the Month- Milan Stankovic This month we are thrilled to recognize Milan Stankovic as our client of the month.  After filing his I-589 asylum application and three evidentiary filings, several hours of grueling interviews, numerous status inquiries, and six long years of seeking protection in the United States, Milan has finally been granted asylum.  Milan, previously a professional soccer player and small business owner in his home country of Serbia, fled his home in 2011 following years of brutal violence against him. 

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

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 partnership with Whitman-Walker Health Legal Services, I have had the opportunity to work on 11 different asylum cases for transgender women from Central America, Mexico, and Peru. Each of these women were forced to flee their country due to persecution based on their gender identity.

Orlando: Does Asylum Matter for LGBT Latinx?

Orlando: Does Asylum Matter for LGBT Latinx? 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 a term that is meant to include the male, female and gender non-conforming; it is meant to eliminate the default male bias of “Latino,” which, grammatically was meant to serve the same purpose) were celebrating their lives at Pulse Orlando. 

May 2015 Client of the Month- VM

May 2015 Client of the Month- VM VM is our Client of the Month for May 2015. VM became a client of Benach Collopy attorneys starting in 2008, when she was detained upon her arrival at the airport from Brazil. Today, after seven years, fights with four immigration agencies, and three immigration applications (asylum, adjustment of status, and naturalization), VM is now a United States citizen. VM fled terrible violence in Brazil because of her gender and sexual identity, and arrived in the United States in search of protection.