The BIA Pro Bono Project Celebrates
10 Years of Service
10 Years of Service
Securing detained immigrants’ rights to
the due process of law has become increasingly challenging.
the due process of law has become increasingly challenging.
Without legal representation, detained immigrants have little hope of winning their cases before immigration judges. The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) Pro Bono Project was created to address these challenges.
In the Matter of Pedroza, a case that was first represented by a volunteer attorney through the BIA Pro Bono Project, the BIA found that convictions for crimes involving moral turpitude do not necessarily make immigrants ineligible for cancellation of removal when their term of imprisonment is less than one year and they qualify for the petty offense exception. This case’s decision was important because it offers second chances for individuals with family and community connections in the United States to remain in this country.
One of the nation’s most successful pro bono initiatives, the BIA Pro Bono Project partners with more than 500 attorneys and law school clinics to provide free legal representation to poor asylum-seekers and long time legal residents, safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable immigrants.
Since its inception in 2001, CLINIC has staffed and operated this Project, making a difference for hundreds of individuals who have seen their cases achieve favorable rulings all the way to the Supreme Court.
2010 BIA Pro Bono Project Precedent
In the Matter of Pedroza, a case that was first represented by a volunteer attorney through the BIA Pro Bono Project, the BIA found that convictions for crimes involving moral turpitude do not necessarily make immigrants ineligible for cancellation of removal when their term of imprisonment is less than one year and they qualify for the petty offense exception. This case’s decision was important because it offers second chances for individuals with family and community connections in the United States to remain in this country.
- In a Department of Justice study, immigrants who had representation through the Project were up to four times more likely to win a favorable decision before the BIA
- In 2010 the project matched 63 cases with 41 pro bono volunteers
An Elderly Immigrant’s Plight
