Political Asylum Immigration Representation Project Inc.

Transcription

1 Political Asylum Immigration Representation Project Inc. General Information 98 North Washington Street Suite 106 Boston, MA (617) Website Organization Contact Anita Sharma Year of Incorporation

2 Statements & Search Criteria Mission Statement The Political Asylum / Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project is an award-winning, nationally recognized model of collaboration and legal excellence empowering the immigrant community in Massachusetts with access to justice, hope, and safety. PAIR serves low-income asylum-seekers from across the world, unaccompanied minors, and immigrants who are unjustly detained, guiding them through the first step on the journey to becoming United States citizens. Background Statement A model of collaboration since inception, PAIR was founded in 1989 after a group of community activists, legal services organizations, academics, immigration attorneys, and private lawyers came together to represent, free of charge, 83 asylum seekers from Central America who had been arrested in an immigration workplace raid in October One of the first PAIR clients, a man from Somalia, won asylum in He was represented by Susan Cohen, an immigration lawyer and partner at Mintz Levin and now the PAIR Board President. Thanks to Ms. Cohen s dedication and the PAIR staff s mentoring, Jamal went on to achieve great success: he graduated with an MBA from Harvard, became as a U.S. citizen, and then a Citibank executive. He eventually returned to a very changed Somaliland to run for President. Today, he is a member of the PAIR Board of Directors. Over the years, PAIR has flourished, having assisted over 11,000 asylum-seekers and immigrant detainees, and recruiting and training over 2,500 pro bono attorneys from nearly all of Boston s major law firms and a myriad of smaller firms. PAIR remains clear about its mission to serve indigent asylum seekers and immigration detainees and does so through two strong programs, the Pro Bono Asylum Program and the Detention Center Initiative. We have 9 staff members, support from stellar Fellows and interns, and a panel of over 1,100 active volunteer attorneys trained and closely mentored by PAIR. We do all of this on a tight annual operating budget. PAIR enjoys the respect of the legal and non-profit communities and has won numerous local and national awards. Last year, PAIR clients received over $7 million worth of donated legal services from law firms partnering on a pro bono basis with PAIR. PAIR has achieved an unparalleled success rate, winning 95% of its asylum cases. We assist over 1,400 new clients a year. Each year, PAIR staff members train over 500 volunteer attorneys, recruit over 100 new volunteers, provide more than 30 legal education training sessions, and accept hundreds of detained and non-detained asylum seekers for representation. While PAIR serves large numbers of people in need, we turn away roughly 50% of the non-detained cases screened, solely due to lack of resources. We hope to keep growing to assist more clients in need. There is tremendous need for PAIR s work. Nearly half the people in Immigration Court are unrepresented when counsel really matters: asylum-seekers with counsel win asylum five times more often than those without and the consequences are dire. A study of the NY Immigration Court found that unrepresented detainees won relief in only 8% of their cases. Complexities of immigration law, fragile clients, life-or-death stakes and filing deadlines require us to respond immediately. PAIR achieves a high volume of clients served with a very high quality of service. 2

3 Impact Statement The immigrant community in Massachusetts is vibrant, full of courageous individuals who have fled persecution with the hope of a fresh start. But navigating the complexities of immigration law in their new home often requires assistance. For these individuals, legal representation can mean the difference between a safe new home and a return to dangerous persecution. PAIR provides direct legal services and consultations to over 1,400 new clients a year. PAIR staff and volunteers conduct asylum intakes, screenings and consultations for detained immigrants, and Know Your Rights presentations in detention centers and throughout the community. To support our clients, we recruit, train, and mentor a network of over 1,100 volunteer lawyers to place cases, free of charge to clients. Pro Bono Asylum Program: PAIR serves asylum-seekers who have overcome unspeakable horrors to forge new lives in safety and freedom. Asylum-seekers are five times more likely to win their case if represented. PAIR s asylum program has assisted thousands of immigrants to date and has an astonishing success rate of over 95%. Detention Center Initiative: PAIR is the only nonprofit in Massachusetts with negotiated access to provide legal orientation to immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Detained immigrants are one of the most under-served populations, hidden from view and with no right to free counsel. Detained immigrants are twice as likely to win relief with representation, making access to counsel vital. PAIR serves over 700 detention clients per year. Community Outreach: PAIR is committed to engagement and outreach to the immigrant community and Greater Boston residents. PAIR partners with fellow nonprofits, schools, healthcare providers, and more to bring its Know Your Rights presentations to the public. These presentations empower immigrants of varying circumstances to understand and use their constitutional rights. Since November 2016, PAIR has served over 10,000 community members across Massachusetts in venues from schools to hospitals to the airport and community centers. PAIR achieves a high volume of clients served with a very high quality of service. We have an unparalleled success rate, winning over 95% of our asylum cases and have won numerous awards for excellence. Last year, PAIR clients received over $7 million worth of in-kind legal services from law firms partnering with PAIR. Since its inception, PAIR has provided direct legal services and consultations to over 11,000 clients. We assist over 1,400 new clients a year, train over 500 volunteer attorneys a year, recruit over 100 new volunteers who take PAIR cases, provide more than 30 legal education training sessions, and intake hundreds of detained and non-detained asylum seekers. All of PAIR s clients live below 125% of the Federal Poverty Level, and over 98% are people of color representing over 90 countries around the world. While PAIR serves large numbers of people in need, we turn away roughly 50% of the non-detained cases screened, solely due to lack of resources (staff, time, and travel). 3

4 Needs Statement 1. With shifting immigration policies, demand for our services is high. This places pressure on the staff to recruit more volunteer attorneys who must be trained and mentored through complex immigration cases; most PAIR volunteer attorneys are NOT immigration attorneys. With announcements of changing immigration policies, PAIR was flooded with panicked calls from immigrants -even those with legal status- asking if they would soon be deported. We responded with a special Know Your Rights initiative to inform people of their basic legal rights and to help them avoid unscrupulous practitioners. We hold the KYRs statewide in many venues and it has been incredibly successful, assisting over 10,000 people so far! This was only possible due to a special grant to hire a community outreach coordinator and this grant will be depleted in December. PAIR would like to extend this wildly successful program, and anticipate that the cost is $70, PAIR fills a state-wide need for a high-quality and reliable pro bono program serving indigent asylum-seekers and detained immigrants to ensure access to legal counsel. With changing immigration policies, demand for our services is high. This places pressure on the staff to recruit more volunteer attorneys who must be trained and mentored through complex immigration cases. With the increase of outreach, PAIR s asylum in-take waitlist has doubled. 3. PAIR would like to hire another asylum attorney to take cases in-house to help reduce the client wait-list and take pressure off volunteer attorney recruitment. The total costs for this position is $80,000, including salary, benefits, and travel. 4. Finally, due to increased enforcement and detention of immigrants, PAIR needs to hire an additional staff attorney to handle removal defense cases, including bond and asylum relief, and to conduct increased legal orientation in detention. Service Categories Legal Services Civil Rights Ethnic/Immigrant Services Geographic Areas Served The PAIR Project s programs exclusively serve low-income asylum-seekers who have fled from persecution, and low-income immigration detainees who are asylum-seekers, victims of torture and other immigrants detained during their immigration cases. PAIR clients come from over 90 countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. More than 65% of PAIR clients live with Route 128, and all PAIR clients live below 125% of the Federal Poverty Level. Please review online profile for full list of selected areas served. 4

5 Programs 1. Pro Bono Asylum Program Description Through its Pro Bono Asylum Program PAIR represents over 700 clients each year and has recruited, mentored and trained over 2,500 volunteer lawyers since its inception. Asylum seekers are 5 times more likely to win their case if represented. Budget Category Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy, General/Other Population Served Immigrant, Newcomers, Refugees,, Program Short Term Success Program Long term Success We have an unparalleled success rate, winning over 95% of our asylum cases. PAIR provides hope and a new beginning for the hundreds of asylum seekers who have won asylum through our program and who have now been reunited with their spouses and children whom they had to leave behind, often in refugee camps, when they fled for their lives. In their pro bono work through PAIR, hundreds of private attorneys have found their most fulfilling legal work to be winning asylum and release from detention for their clients. Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success Marjan feared persecution in Iran due to her conversion to Christianity and her rejection of Islamic norms. Because conversion is illegal in Iran, she likely faced harm, including torture, imprisonment and death, if she were to return. She won asylum in the U.S. due to the dedication of her pro bono attorney and the PAIR Asylum Attorney as expert mentor. Jose fled Honduras because he was repeatedly harassed, beaten, and raped due to his sexual orientation and his courageous work as a gay rights activist. Despite the risk, he helped form an organization to document rights abuses within the gay community, such as police cruelty, mistreatment, and exploitation. As a result, Jose was arrested by a police officer who continued to extort, beat, and threaten him. With the excellent work of the PAIR Asylum Attorney and his pro bono attorney, he won asylum in the U.S. and continues to advocate for gay and lesbian rights. 5

6 2. Detention Center Initiative Description Through the Detention Center Initiative, PAIR staff and pro bono attorneys advise and represent over 1,000 non-citizens detained by Immigration & Customs Enforcement whose immigration cases are pending in Massachusetts. Many of these people are refugees who escaped persecution in their home countries. Others are immigrants who grew up in this country and now have U.S. citizen spouses and young children, and almost no connection to their country of birth. Budget Category Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy, General/Other Population Served Immigrant, Newcomers, Refugees,, Program Short Term Success Program Long term Success PAIR serves over 700 detention clients per year. Detained immigrants are twice as likely to win relief with representation, making access to counsel vital. PAIR has won release from detention and/or relief from deportation for over 100 clients who fear persecution if deported or permanent separation from spouses and children or other family members here in the U.S. Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success Abdel, a Sudanese refugee, was imprisoned in immigration detention for nine months, as the government sought to deport him. Because Abdel is a member of an ethnic group in Sudan against which genocide is being committed, he feared torture if he were forced to return. With excellent pro bono representation and the expert mentoring of the PAIR Detention Attorney, Abdel faced faced two hearings in Immigration Court and ultimately won his case. "Irma" fled Guatemala after over fifteen years of severe physical and emotional abuse from her common-law husband, who had connections to paramilitary groups. Guatemala s government has been internationally criticized for its inability to protect women from violence, and Irma had nowhere to turn. In the U.S., she was arrested during a raid on janitors at a local courthouse, and applied for asylum before the Immigration Court. Although domestic violence asylum cases are unusual and difficult to win, with the help of the PAIR Detention Attorney and Equal Justice Works Fellow, Irma won asylum. 6

7 3. Community Outreach and "Know Your Rights" Presentations Description PAIR is committed to engagement and outreach to the immigrant community and Greater Boston residents. PAIR partners with fellow nonprofits, public and charter schools, neighborhood centers, colleges, healthcare providers, law firms and more to bring its "Know Your Rights" presentations to the public. These presentations empower immigrants of varying circumstances to understand and use their constitutional rights. The presentations include: current updates on the executive actions which relate to immigration, information about one's constitutional rights when confronted by immigration enforcement, and how individuals can prepare in case they are detained. The presentation is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Simplified and Traditional Chinese and Vietnamese. Budget Category Population Served Crime & Legal, General/Other Administration of Justice Immigrant, Newcomers, Refugees, Other Named Groups, Program Short Term Success Since November 2016, PAIR has served more than 10,000 community members through these presentations and trained over 300 attorneys to perform them. Program Long term Success Thousands of community members informed of their rights Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success Since November 2016, PAIR has served more than 10,000 community members through these presentations and trained over 300 attorneys to perform them. 7

8 Management CEO/Executive Director Executive Director Term Start Sept Ms. Anita P. Sharma Experience Anita P. Sharma, Esq., is the Executive Director of the PAIR Project. Anita received her LL.M in International Legal Studies from American University Law School, concentrating in Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. She earned her J.D. from Suffolk University Law School, graduating with distinction in the Intellectual Property and High Technology Law concentration. She received her B.A., summa cum laude, in English Literature from Suffolk University, where she is currently an adjunct professor of English. Anita serves as co-chair of the Liaison Committee on Asylum for the New England Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and is a steering committee member of the Boston Bar Association s (BBA) Delivery of Legal Services Section. In 2016, Anita was honored by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly for its Top Women of Law Award. From , she co-chaired the BBA s Immigration Section, of which she is currently a steering committee member. She was selected for the BBA Public Interest Leadership Program, during which time she formed a project to increase pro bono interest in detention work. Anita received the Unsung Heroine of Massachusetts Award from the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women in 2009, and the BBA s John G. Brooks Public Service Award in 2006 for her outstanding representation of asylum-seekers and her mentorship to hundreds of pro bono attorneys who represent PAIR clients. Before coming to PAIR in 2002, Anita worked at WARLAW, a Delhi-based NGO that focuses on women s rights in India. Anita is fluent in Hindi and Punjabi. Former CEOs Name Term Sarah B. Ignatius Jan Aug 2015 Senior Staff Ms. Elena Noureddine Esq. Title Experience/Biography Detention Attorney Elena Noureddine, Esq., is a staff attorney at PAIR. Elena specializes in removal defense, criminal immigration, asylum, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. She received her B.A. in Political Science and Criminology from the University of Florida and her J.D. from Boston University School of Law. In law school, Elena participated in Boston University s Asylum and Human Rights Clinic, representing clients in USCIS interviews and before the Executive Office for Immigration Review. She focused on the representation of juveniles facing deportation who, because of their age, are often neglected for services and go unrepresented. Elena joined PAIR in She is a native Spanish speaker and also speaks Arabic and Italian. 8

9 Mr. Seth Purcell Esq. Title Experience/Biography Asylum Attorney Seth Purcell, Esq., is a staff attorney at PAIR. Seth specializes in asylum matters and manages the Asylum Intake Initiative at PAIR. He is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law. Seth has earned a Master s Degree in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University as well as a Bachelor s Degree in Political Science from Tufts University. Prior to law school, Seth spent several years living and working overseas, mainly in West and East Africa. He began as a volunteer for the Peace Corps in Niger and has since worked on development projects in places such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Uganda, South Sudan, and Fiji. These international experiences led Seth to focus on immigration law during his time in law school. He has served as a legal intern and fellow at the PAIR Project, as a law clerk at Joyce & Associates, and as a Program on Human Rights in the Global Economy Fellow at Physicians for Human Rights in Boston. Seth is conversant in French. Ms. Courtney Snegroff Title Experience/Biography Paralegal/Community Engagement Manager Courtney Snegroff is a paralegal and Community Engagement Manager at PAIR where she works to increase immigrants access to accurate information about their rights and helps to build PAIR s partnerships with immigrant community organizations. She also works in both the asylum and detention programs expanding asylum intake and legal orientation outreach in detention centers and adding case screening capacity so that PAIR can place more cases with pro bono attorneys. Courtney comes to PAIR with 15 years of organizing experience with Massachusetts immigrant communities. Most recently she worked at Boston s Mayor s Office for Immigrant Advancement where she led the office s outreach work across city departments and developed coalitions of community nonprofits, legal service providers, unions, churches, elected officials and public institutions to support the needs of Boston s immigrants. Prior to her work at the Mayor s Office she worked for 11 years at the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ where she negotiated contracts and organized thousands of immigrant janitors in commercial office buildings and higher educational institutions for just wages and fair treatment. As the union s Political Director she advocated for pro-immigrant, pro-worker policies at the federal, state and city levels and ran the union s field campaigns in support of pro-immigrant candidates. Courtney is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese. Staff Information Full Time Staff 9 9

10 Part Time Staff Volunteers Contractors Staff Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 0 Asian American/Pacific Islander 1 Caucasian 5 Hispanic/Latino 2 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 0 Staff Demographics - Gender Male Female Unspecified Formal Evaluations CEO Formal Evaluation CEO/Executive Formal Evaluation Frequency Senior Management Formal Evaluation Senior Management Formal Evaluation Frequency NonManagement Formal Evaluation Non Management Formal Evaluation Frequency Bi-Annually Annually Annually Plans & Policies Organization has a Fundraising Plan? Organization has a Strategic Plan? Years Strategic Plan Considers 10 Date Strategic Plan Adopted Dec 2016 Does your organization have a Business Continuity of Operations Plan? Management Succession Plan? Organization Policy and Procedures Nondiscrimination Policy Whistleblower Policy 3 No

11 Document Destruction Policy Directors and Officers Insurance Policy Registration Permit? Risk Management Provisions Workers Compensation and Employers' Liability Directors and Officers Policy General Property Coverage Disability Insurance Professional Liability Awards Awards Award/Recognition Organization Year Massachusetts Haitian Temporary Protected Status Consortium Dr. Joseph H. Brenner Award or "invaluable work on behalf of asylum-seekers" Development of pro bono program with AILA attorneys Daniel Levy Award Obunto Award for dedicated service to survivors of torture and asylum-seekers Organization of the Year 2017 AILA NE Pro Bono Champions Award MIRA Coalition 2010 Community Legal Services & Counseling Center American Immigration Lawyers Association-New England Chapter National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys American Immigration Lawyers Association- New England Chapter 2017 External Assessments and Accreditations Assessment/Accreditation Year Board of Immigration Appeals - Accreditation 2017 Affiliations Affiliation Year Massachusetts Nonprofit Network

12 Board & Governance Board Chair Board Chair Ms Susan Cohen Company Affiliation Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo Term May 2017 to May Board Members Name Affiliation Status Feruza Aripova Northeastern University Voting Steven Barrett WilmerHale Voting Michael Boudett Foley Hoag Voting Susan Cohen Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo Voting Daniel Esrick attorney Voting Edith Fobid Hospice Worker Voting Octavio Guerra Ramos Business Owner Voting Richard Harper SEC Voting Vivie Hengst Massachusetts Office of Refugees & Immigrants Voting Kathy Henry Plymouth Rock Assurance Voting Jamal Hussein Financial Services Voting David McHaffey Barker, Epstein & Loscocco Voting Benoit Nyonga Verizon Voting Nancy Rego Sevich State Street Global Markets Voting Jennifer Rikoski Ropes & Gray LLP Voting Alan Jay Rom Rom Law Voting Wendy Zazik Fidelity Investments Voting Board Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 3 Asian American/Pacific Islander 1 Caucasian 12 Hispanic/Latino 1 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 0 Board Demographics - Gender Male 9 12

13 Female Unspecified 8 0 Board Information Board Term Lengths Number of Full Board Meetings Annually Written Board Selection Criteria? Written Conflict of Interest Policy? Percentage Making Monetary Contributions Percentage Making In-Kind Contributions Constituency Includes Client Representation 2 4 Under Development 94% 100% Standing Committees Development / Fund Development / Fund Raising / Grant Writing / Major Gifts Executive Nominating Special Events (Golf Tournament, Walk / Run, Silent Auction, Dinner / Gala) Building Operations Technology 13

14 Financials Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Start July 01, 2016 Fiscal Year End June 30, 2017 Projected Revenue $614, Projected Expenses $613, Endowment? No Credit Line? No Reserve Fund? Months Reserve Fund Covers 3 Detailed Financials Revenue and Expenses Fiscal Year Total Revenue $526,874 $448,517 $397,921 Total Expenses $442,234 $398,744 $413,105 Revenue Sources Fiscal Year Foundation and Corporation Contributions Government Contributions $0 $0 $0 Federal State Local Unspecified -- $0 $0 Individual Contributions $343,701 $268,773 $239,520 Indirect Public Support -- $0 $0 Earned Revenue -- $0 $0 Investment Income, Net of Losses $4,278 $329 $1,246 Membership Dues -- $0 $0 Special Events $176,810 $177,565 $157,018 Revenue In-Kind Other $2,085 $1,850 $137 14

15 Expense Allocation Fiscal Year Program Expense $393,413 $358,145 $368,365 Administration Expense $48,821 $40,599 $44,740 Fundraising Expense -- $0 $0 Payments to Affiliates Total Revenue/Total Expenses Program Expense/Total Expenses 89% 90% 89% Fundraising Expense/Contributed Revenue 0% 0% 0% Assets and Liabilities Fiscal Year Total Assets $348,360 $268,984 $213,006 Current Assets $312,913 $247,056 $189,033 Long-Term Liabilities $0 $0 $0 Current Liabilities $16,598 $16,618 $10,467 Total Net Assets $331,762 $252,366 $202,539 Short Term Solvency Fiscal Year Current Ratio: Current Assets/Current Liabilities Long Term Solvency Fiscal Year Long-Term Liabilities/Total Assets 0% 0% 0% Top Funding Sources Fiscal Year Top Funding Source & Dollar Amount Second Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount Third Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount Capital Campaign Currently in a Capital Campaign? No Comments Foundation Staff Comments Financial summary data in charts and graphs are per the organization's IRS 990s. Contributions from foundations and corporations are listed under individuals when the breakout was not available. Created Copyright 2018 The Boston Foundation 15