We'd like to sincerely thank everyone who made it out to I-ARC's Night of Justice fundraiser on October 6th! We enjoyed our signature cocktail, the Kir Royale, and hors d'oeuvres curtesy of @themigrantkitchen.

We hold this special night to acknowledge and celebrate the amazing legal advocates that help lead the fight for immigrant justice in New York State, and this would not be possible without our sponsors, donors, and of course our legal advocates.

We'd like to specifically thank our sponsors Lenni Benson, Hasan Shafiqullah, Jennifer Coyler, Shayna Kessler, Alfredo Vidal, Vera Institute of Justice, Carrie Harvey & Omar Beer, Fragomen, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. As well as our honorees Desiree Hernandez Sanchez, Emerson G. Argueta, and Catholic Charities' Immigration Legal Services & Unaccompanied Minors Program Team.

We look forward to seeing you all next year!

To view the complete ImmigrantARC Night of Justice Gallery please use this link. Please tag Anthony Randazzo @1028photo in all photos.

To view the nights program please use this link.

Competent interpretation is essential to ensuring that noncitizens receive a fundamentally fair proceeding in immigration court. During this webinar, the presenters, Tamber Hilton, a Federally Certified Court Interpreter (FCCI) and a former EOIR court interpreter, and retired Immigration Judge Dana Leigh Marks will provide background on the qualifications of and role of interpreters in immigration court, explain how practitioners can help prevent interpretation inaccuracies, discuss strategies for rectifying interpretation errors during the Individual Hearing, talk about best practices for preserving the record for appeal when interpretation inaccuracies arise, and identify arguments for appeal.

Registration closes on Wednesday, July 20pm at 11:59PM ET. Register here.

On July 19-20, the National Immigration Project (NIPNLG) will host a virtual convening devoted to discussing and elevating immigration issues that impact Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities. We are excited to bring together lawyers, organizers, researchers, and community advocates for a series of discussions focused on the immigration legal and policy landscape and on strategies to challenge the ongoing criminalization and dehumanization of AMEMSA communities within the immigration system.

Register to join here. Attendance is free, but you must register to attend.

The goal of the convening is to achieve greater understanding of how groups within the AMEMSA and immigration communities can work together on these issues, and how lawyers, organizers, and researchers can collaborate and amplify each others’ strategies in order to achieve fundamental transformations in our laws and policies.

The topics we will cover over the course of the two days include:

· Extreme Vetting and Ongoing Harms of the Muslim & African Bans

· TRIG, CARRP, & Delays/Denials in USCIS Adjudications

· Passport Revocations & Denaturalization

· Immigration Enforcement & Detention

· Surveillance

Discussion leaders include: Hammad Alam, Naz Ahmad, Fahd Ahmed, Khaled Alrabe, Nermeen Arastu, Abed Ayoub, Mariko Hirose, Javeria Jamil, Diana Konate, Hope Metcalf, Amber Qureshi, Faiza Patel, Darakshan Raja, Azadeh Shahshahani, Samah Sisay, Lakshmi Srirardan, Stacy Tolchin, Patrick Toomey, Naomi Tsu

Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAqfu2grTMpGdZnWYHi2FuSd_bLwdPV0rQR

In recent months, Rochester has received an inflow of immigrants escaping war zones such as Haiti, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. JustCause is partnering with Catholic Charities and the Legal Aid Society of Rochester to help eligible immigrants file for Asylum prior to the one year deadline.

This CLE will provide information on the origin of U.S asylum law, the elements of asylum, and the difference between an affirmative and a defensive asylum application. Importantly, the CLE will outline what bars a person from receiving asylum and type of waivers are available if barred. The CLE will also cover how to screen applicants for asylum and explore related immigration relief measures. We will also discuss other common issues encountered when applying for asylum and how to prepare and file the asylum application. The session will include the new legal and procedural developments concerning asylum law.

The CLE is free in exchange for a commitment to volunteer at one Immigration Clinic or for one case within one year of the date of this seminar. Register here.

This training will address advanced issues affecting TPS applicants, including waivers, firm resettlement, adjustment of status considerations, and simultaneous applications for asylum.

This training is eligible for up to 1.5 NY CLE Credits. This course is appropriate for new and experienced attorneys.

This training builds upon the NYSBA Temporary Protected Status (TPS) training that took place on March 25, 2022. By attending both trainings, you will receive a thorough overview of basic and advanced TPS issues that apply to people from all countries designated for TPS. Lawyers, law students and DOJ accredited reps can access a recording of the NYSBA training here (you must create a free account) https://www.immigrantarc.org/recorded-legal-trainings-1

RSVP here.

This training will provide an update on the Ukraine crises by the Ukrainian American Bar Association, information about resources by Immigrant ARC, and general introductions and open discussion by member bar associations. RSVP here.

Participants will receive information about the Temporary Protected Status program and learn the basics of how to help individuals from TPS eligible countries file initial applications and supporting documents. We will discuss the eligibility criteria, common pitfalls, and other practice pointers. Please note that this is an introductory training. The presenters will not cover advanced TPS issues, such as criminal bars to TPS eligibility during this training.

Non-NYSBA members who are legal services or pro bono attorneys can attend for free using this code: LSLW71

RSVP here.

At Planthouse Gallery - 55 West 28th Street, NY, NY

RSVP here

The plight of Iraqi and Afghan interpreters left behind by the United States remains one of the most significant human rights issues of the Global War on Terrorism, America’s longest, and ongoing, military conflict.  Join us for a book talk with Col. Steve Miska (Ret.) as he discusses his recent book “Baghdad Underground Railroad” and his efforts to assist Iraqi interpreters during the worst years of that conflict. In light of recent events, the author will also discuss the Afghan evacuation and engage with the audience in a conversation about Afghanistan policy. He will be joined by Community Advocate Fatima Rahmati and the Barakzai Tribe’s leader and LEARN founder, Pashtana Durrani in a conversation moderated by Immigrant ARC's Executive Director, Camille Mackler. All speakers have been actively engaged in efforts to evacuate vulnerable Afghan allies since the withdrawal announcement last April.

About the book: In 2007, Iraq was in the midst of violent sectarian cleansing. Col. Steve Miska led a team within the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (known as Dagger Brigade) that established an underground railroad from Baghdad to Amman to the U.S. for dozens of Iraqi interpreters facing near-certain death at the hands of the “death squads” that hunted down and slaughtered interpreters and their families. The mostly young men and women who embraced American idealism risked their lives to support U.S. service members in countries where understanding the language, the people, and the contours of the culture are often a matter of life and death. Yet, according to recent estimates, more than 100,000 interpreters and at-risk family members remain in Iraq and 70,000 remain in Afghanistan, each in grave danger. 
Books will be available for purchase and signature at the event.

*Please ensure you walk with your COVID-19 Vaccine Card as we will be checking them at the door.*

It's so hard to believe it's only been a year since our Lawyer Army launched as a standalone non-profit organization. In that short amount of time, we've set up systems to welcome asylum seekers traveling to New York from the border, we've helped Venezuelan New Yorkers apply for Temporary Protected Status, we've grown and strengthened our community to get ourselves through the COVID-19 Pandemic, and we've created new tools and planned for bigger successes in the years to come. At the same time, only last week a federal judge in Texas once again through the lives of DACA recipients into uncertainty, and reminded us how broken and harmful our immigration system still is.

On September 29th - we hope you will join us to celebrate all that we have accomplished this past year, and all that is yet to come in our fight for justice for all immigrant New Yorkers.

Immigrant ARC is proud to present, “Telling the Stories of Immigrant New Yorkers,” a discussion with journalists that will highlight immigrants’ stories while focusing on the role journalism plays in telling them. 

Immigrants have been the driving force of the American dream since the beginning. Regardless of where they came from or the manner in which they arrived, they have shaped the fabric of this nation and the lives of all who belong to it. Immigrants bring culture, diversity, and beauty to this country in the hopes of creating a better existence for themselves and future generations. The United States, and especially New York, is rooted in the principle of being a land made for all, and its destiny is to uphold that value so that immigrant communities can thrive for years to come. 

Journalists play an important role in the telling of immigrants’ stories. Join us for a discussion spotlighting the impact their choices have on today’s immigration conversation. We hope this panel will inspire a thirst for knowledge about the impact immigrants have on our culture and our lives and will spark a desire to learn more about immigrant communities. 

RSVP HERE

This International Women’s Day, Immigrant ARC, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), the Truman Center for National Policy, and the Truman National Security Project, are proud to present an event honoring migrant women around the world who have bravely left their homes in search of protection and a better life.

In 2021 - the personal is no longer political. As female migration is increasing, so is their vulnerability to human trafficking, exploitation, and discrimination. In fact, single women (alone, pregnant, or with children), adolescent girls, and elderly women are at the highest risk for these deplorable circumstances, and there needs to be a better system in place to protect them.

Many of these women flee their native countries because they are subject to persecution and sexual and gender-based violence, including war-related violence. They seek protection for themselves (and in some cases, their children) by making a dangerous journey to freedom, only to be faced with a lack of opportunity to access necessary legal services. In some cases, migrant women who are victims of violence may even feel as though they cannot file a complaint due to their safety fears.

Come hear from a panel of experts who will discuss the challenges women face, not only on their dangerous journeys but once they have reached the place where they seek safety. Join us on March 8th at 5pm on Zoom to be a part of this conversation, and more importantly, to be a part of the change.

Register here!

Guest speakers will include:

Carmen Maria Rey, IRAP

Lauren Wyatt, Catholic Charities Community Services

Cailin Crockett, Truman Center for National Security

Cecilia Cortina, Worker Justice Center of New York

Be there for a celebration of our history and our future! From January 27th, 2017 to January 27th, 2021, Immigrant ARC has made significant strides in helping immigrant communities and their legal advocates.

When lawyers arrived at JFK Airport on the morning of January 28th, 12 hours after the signing of the infamous Muslim Ban, they didn't know what to expect. But they did know that it was the beginning of a long, four-year battle to protect immigrants from hostile policies meant to deter them from pursuing their American dreams.

Since then, legal advocates have stood up, time and again, to defend not only individuals caught in the cross-hairs of a deportation machine unlike any we've ever seen, but the very foundations of our justice system.

Come hear from lawyers who were at JFK Airport that weekend as they remember what those days were like, reflect on all that came after, and share their thoughts on where we go from here.

Featuring:

• Maria Odom, Kids in Need of Defense (Moderator)

• Carmen Maria Rey, International Refugee Assistance Project

• Hasan Shafiqullah, The Legal Aid Society

• Jennifer Kroman, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, LLP

• Maryann Tharappel, Catholic Charities Community Services

RSVP HERE