Call for NLG Members to Assist Migrant Caravan

12/20/2018

from the NLG National Office:

 

Since November, a Central American exodus of 4,000-5,000 asylum seekers have been arriving at the Tijuana/San Ysidro Port of Entry. The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) and Al Otro Lado (AOL) have been mobilizing legal support on both sides of the border to help protect and uphold the human rights of these refugees fleeing violence and political crisis.

 

The NLG and AOL are calling on attorneys, law students, and other legal workers to travel to the border and volunteer to Legal Observe (LO) refugee arrivals, lead know your rights trainings, and staff legal clinics. Volunteers must already be trained NLG Legal Observers, have some proficiency in Spanish, and above all, practice cultural sensitivity and remain aware of their privileged status as a guest in a space in which families are fighting for their lives.

 

On the Mexican side of the border in Tijuana, the first priority for volunteers is to ensure that particularly vulnerable people are allowed access to the Port of Entry to make their claim for asylum. We also will be expanding legal rights presentations in shelters immediately and anticipate a constant need for attorneys and legal workers for three or more months. 

 

Volunteers may sign up at this form, and by doing so acknowledge that you are participating at your own risk. If you have already filled out the form, but have not heard back about coming to the border to volunteer, please email bordersupport@nlg.org for an immediate response. Al Otro Lado has been overwhelmed with offers, and the NLG will be assisting with the coordination of volunteers by scheduling our own members. 

 

If you cannot make the trip yourself, you can still assist these efforts by:

  • Making a donation that will go directly to reimbursing NLG coordinators on the ground for their work and expenses.
  • Sponsoring  one of the LGBTQ asylum seekers

 

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