For Immediate Release Contact: Julie Contreras 773-682-3963 LULAC of Illinois Immigration Committee & Private Attorneys Announce FREE Legal Clinic to Intake Immigration Cases For Central & South American Refugees Chicago- In recent months the Lake County area has become home to many child refugees who fled the violence & other dangerous conditions in three Central American countries, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Much of the crisis has been focused on political attacks about what should have been done to stop the children from entering the US. Julie Contreras Chair of LULAC of IL Immigration Committee,” We do not care about the POLITRICKS! We are identifying and providing relief for the important legal needs that the children have who are refugees that escaped life-threatening conditions.” There are some immigration law experts that are arguing that granting the children hearings before an immigration judge is a waste of our governments time and resources, and will be of little benefit to the children anyway, because many of the children who have asylum claims that will not be recognized by our immigration courts. They say that the threats identified by the children will not meet the requirements to be accepted under our asylum laws. Frank Avila, a licensed attorney from Chicago, who will be donating his services on Sunday to the children at the Legal Workshop stated,” These children need due process. These are children-human beings—who need assistance and not persecution. It is our duty as lawyers to help pro-bono clients out when we can and to give back to the community and help others. Helping these children is the core of who I am as a person and what I learned from my parents, my faith, Boy Scouts, and my most fundamental reason for being an attorney.” The Lake County area has a large Central and South American community and children have already come forward to the local LULAC seeking assistance. There has been a social media and flier handout to alert the community of this FREE Legal Workshop for the Refugee Children. There are several attorneys who will be donating their services and who have committed to representing each and every child that arrives until the end of their individual cases. Maggie Rivera LULAC National Treasures said,” It is critical that these children have appropriate legal representation at their legal hearings. Many of the families are in poor economic conditions and that is why we are extending our hand in their great time of need. We applaud all the attorneys who will come and give back by helping these children.” The organizers of the event are prepared to intake as many cases as they can within the time frame. There will be an intake tent that will open at 1pm and close at 7pm on Sunday August 24th, 2014. Other groups will set up information tables, health information and all the families that arrive will be fed. During the event there are plans for an Ecumenical Prayer Services which will be led by Reverend Walter Coleman of the Lincoln United Methodist Church. The event for the children will take place at the Veteran Housing & Employment Assistance Organization. Dozens of volunteers will be there guide and assistance the children prior to meeting with individual attorneys. Christopher LaFayalle Co-Founder & Chief Inspiration Officer for VHEA stated, “I am a veteran who stands between the oppressed and the oppressor---how can I say that I’m an honorable American Veteran --- if I know children need help? I as a Veteran can and will help these children. We open our doors for them on Sunday with honor!” Workshop organizers are asking that the children and their families please bring a copy of their court papers and any legal documents they may have for the attorney’s legal intake of their case.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 02:37:58 +0000
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