Скачать или смотреть Maine Law's Refugee and Human Rights Clinic: On the Frontlines, Advocating for Change

For years, asylum seekers represented by Maine attorneys, including student attorneys in Maine Law's Refugee and Human Rights Clinic (RHRC), enjoyed a nearly 100 percent success rate in gaining asylum. However, beginning in 2016 after the opening of the Boston Asylum Office which took over adjudication of Maine cases from the Newark Asylum Office, attorneys and asylum seekers witnessed a dramatic decrease in asylum approvals for applicants not only in Maine but throughout New England. Seeking to learn more about this decline, the RHRC, along with the ACLU of Maine and the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, engaged in a multi-year, multi-modal advocacy project. This project includes an ongoing lawsuit in federal court seeking to compel government production of documents in response to a Freedom of Information Act request and the launch of a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative investigation into the practices and policies at the Boston Asylum Office. The results of this investigation culminated in a final report/exposé that highlights systemic problems associated with adjudication of affirmative asylum applications, problems which affect not only Maine asylum seekers but asylum applicants across the country. This panel will discuss the incredible work of RHRC student attorneys in tackling this years' long project. RHRC student attorneys will not only discuss the report's findings but they will also describe their experience (and legal skills gained) as new attorneys working on this cutting-edge issue that they hope will affect real change in the U.S.' asylum system.