Help Fund Trafficking Victim's USCIS Fee
Donation protected
I am an immigration attorney in Seattle, WA.
A month ago I did a GoFundMe campaign (see below) for a pro bono client who is in the USA on a Trafficking visa to enable him to apply for a Green Card. Thanks to the unbelievable generosity of many people we were able to pay for his application and it has been submitted and is now pending a decision from USCIS (woot woot!). Since then, we have had a bit of a holiday miracle. My client's mother (we'll call her "Lillah") was FINALLY granted a derivative T visa to come to the USA (after waiting two years!). My client has been separated from his mother for over five years, since he first fled his house as young teen due to death threats from a cartel. Lillah has completed consular processing and we expect her to cross the border within a week. Which leads me back to here:
We need your help again! Lillah makes a subsistence living in her home country selling food on the street. When she arrives she will have two weeks before her visa expires to apply for a Green Card (as a result of the weird timing of her derivative T visa grant right before her son's T visa was slated to expire, the visa was only granted for a short period). When Lillah arrives she will not yet be authorized to work and there is no way she can afford to pay the Green Card application fee. I am donating the cost of her travel to Seattle and doing her Green Card application pro bono. Her son will be paying for her housing, food, winter clothing, etc., but he also cannot begin to pay the large USCIS fee in such a short time.
So I have restarted this GoFundMe to see if the community can help! If you intended to donate before and didn't, or if I returned your donation because we already made our original goal, or if you know someone who might be able to help, whatever the case may be, any support you can give would be truly meaningful for this family.
To be clear- this funding will go 100% to pay the USCIS fee. Unfortunately, it is not tax deductible.
Thank you for your gracious consideration!
--------------------------------
FIRST FUNDRAISER:
I represent (pro bono- i.e. without charging a fee) a young man from Central America who was trafficked into the USA as a minor. He currently has a T visa. However, this visa is about to expire. He needs to apply for a Green Card but he cannot pay USCIS's fees of $1,225.
My client is now in his early 20s. Due to the trauma he has experienced, my client has had difficulty holding down a steady job and has experienced periods of homelessness. However, he is trying to turn his life around and has recently gotten a job. His new income means he no longer qualifies for federal benefits or for a USCIS fee waiver, however he does not have any savings and cannot save enough to pay the USCIS fees before his current status will expire at the beginning of January. He has no family here to help him and his family in his home country lives in dire poverty.
We have contacted many immigration programs and charities but to date none have been able to provide assistance.
My client does not qualify to extend his T visa status. If he cannot apply for a Green Card, he will lose his T visa status and be forced to return to his home country where he faces serious and credible death threats from a notorious cartel (they were holding him captive for his labor).
Due to the sensitivity of my client's circumstances and the threats he faces, I cannot share his name or any further specifics about his case. However I can say that as an attorney who does a lot of volunteer work- this is the first time I have ever made an appeal to the community of behalf of a single client like this. My client is a young man of faith and a hard worker. He is also very funny. He could do so much if he is given a chance.
To be clear- this funding will go 100% to pay the USCIS fee. I am donating my time to prepare his case and paying for printing, mailing, etc. I cannot guarantee an outcome but together we can give him a chance.
My client would be deeply grateful for any support you can provide.
Thank you.
A month ago I did a GoFundMe campaign (see below) for a pro bono client who is in the USA on a Trafficking visa to enable him to apply for a Green Card. Thanks to the unbelievable generosity of many people we were able to pay for his application and it has been submitted and is now pending a decision from USCIS (woot woot!). Since then, we have had a bit of a holiday miracle. My client's mother (we'll call her "Lillah") was FINALLY granted a derivative T visa to come to the USA (after waiting two years!). My client has been separated from his mother for over five years, since he first fled his house as young teen due to death threats from a cartel. Lillah has completed consular processing and we expect her to cross the border within a week. Which leads me back to here:
We need your help again! Lillah makes a subsistence living in her home country selling food on the street. When she arrives she will have two weeks before her visa expires to apply for a Green Card (as a result of the weird timing of her derivative T visa grant right before her son's T visa was slated to expire, the visa was only granted for a short period). When Lillah arrives she will not yet be authorized to work and there is no way she can afford to pay the Green Card application fee. I am donating the cost of her travel to Seattle and doing her Green Card application pro bono. Her son will be paying for her housing, food, winter clothing, etc., but he also cannot begin to pay the large USCIS fee in such a short time.
So I have restarted this GoFundMe to see if the community can help! If you intended to donate before and didn't, or if I returned your donation because we already made our original goal, or if you know someone who might be able to help, whatever the case may be, any support you can give would be truly meaningful for this family.
To be clear- this funding will go 100% to pay the USCIS fee. Unfortunately, it is not tax deductible.
Thank you for your gracious consideration!
--------------------------------
FIRST FUNDRAISER:
I represent (pro bono- i.e. without charging a fee) a young man from Central America who was trafficked into the USA as a minor. He currently has a T visa. However, this visa is about to expire. He needs to apply for a Green Card but he cannot pay USCIS's fees of $1,225.
My client is now in his early 20s. Due to the trauma he has experienced, my client has had difficulty holding down a steady job and has experienced periods of homelessness. However, he is trying to turn his life around and has recently gotten a job. His new income means he no longer qualifies for federal benefits or for a USCIS fee waiver, however he does not have any savings and cannot save enough to pay the USCIS fees before his current status will expire at the beginning of January. He has no family here to help him and his family in his home country lives in dire poverty.
We have contacted many immigration programs and charities but to date none have been able to provide assistance.
My client does not qualify to extend his T visa status. If he cannot apply for a Green Card, he will lose his T visa status and be forced to return to his home country where he faces serious and credible death threats from a notorious cartel (they were holding him captive for his labor).
Due to the sensitivity of my client's circumstances and the threats he faces, I cannot share his name or any further specifics about his case. However I can say that as an attorney who does a lot of volunteer work- this is the first time I have ever made an appeal to the community of behalf of a single client like this. My client is a young man of faith and a hard worker. He is also very funny. He could do so much if he is given a chance.
To be clear- this funding will go 100% to pay the USCIS fee. I am donating my time to prepare his case and paying for printing, mailing, etc. I cannot guarantee an outcome but together we can give him a chance.
My client would be deeply grateful for any support you can provide.
Thank you.
Co-organizers (3)
Elisa Ford
Organizer
Seattle, WA
Suca Petersen
Co-organizer
Abigail Daquiz
Co-organizer