Dear Friend of PAIR,

With summer right around the corner, it's a great time to think ahead and do some pro bono planning for upcoming months to come.

Atenas Burrola Estrada at the American Immigration Council's Immigration Justice Campaign recently wrote:

"A report released last week by Syracuse University’s TRAC project shows that the rate of pro bono representation in immigration court has fallen by more than half—from a peak of 5% to 2% in just under two years.

Strikingly, the actual number of cases with pro bono representation has not fallen—pro bono representation rates actually grew the most between 2020 and 2022. Rather, the total number of cases before our immigration courts has increased significantly.

This means that despite the continued efforts of dedicated pro bono attorneys, they are being asked to meet an ever-growing gap."

We at PAIR are always looking for dedicated pro bono attorneys to take on full representation asylum cases, and there are some cases in need of placement further down in this email.

Many PAIR pro bono attorneys take asylum cases for the first time—and we have training materials and step-by-step mentorship so you are prepared and supported to represent asylum seeking clients.

I am always here as a soundboard—please hit "reply" and I'd be very glad to chat further!

I hope you have a wonderful summer ahead,
Melanie
Pro Bono Involvement Coordinator
Your Client May Be Eligible for
Temporary Protected Status!


A country can be designated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) when conditions in that country temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from returning safely. Situations that lead a country to be designated for TPS include ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, and other extraordinary or temporary conditions.

Nationals of a designated country who were in the U.S. at the time of the designation and who have continued to reside in the U.S. may apply for TPS. TPS provides protection from removal and work authorization. For those with pending asylum applications, TPS can be an important additional form of relief.

As indicated on the chart below, nationals from eleven countries are currently eligible to file initial applications for TPS. Please contact your PAIR Mentor if you believe your client may be eligible for TPS or if you have any questions.
Available Pro Bono Cases

To read the longer case abstract for each the cases below, please click here.


If you are an attorney and are interested in taking on one of the below cases, please email me at mgleason@pairproject.org.

  • Asylum (Immigration Court): GYCA (Honduras) is a 29 year old woman who fears returning due to the violence she suffered at the hands of her former partner.

  • Asylum (Immigration Court): JAS (Honduras) is a 44 year old Afro-Honduran woman who fled both domestic violence from her children's father and gang threats from her older daughter's persecutors.

  • Asylum (Immigration Court): JOH (Honduras) is a 29 year old Garifuna man who fled Honduras with his son because of threats they received due to their family member's political activism, and JOH's own political work on issues facing Garifuna people in the country.
Pro Bono Resources

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