The Immigration Justice Clinic achieves another successful result for a client
The Immigration Justice Clinic (IJC) achieved a successful result for a client who has been represented by IJC Student Attorneys since the spring of 2011. The case initially came to the IJC on a referral from the Empire Justice Center.
On April 10, 2018, after dozens of court appearances, several full hearings, and a BIA Appeal, Immigration Judge Vivienne E. Gordon-Uruakpa granted the relief of Cancellation of Removal to the IJC client. This order of discretionary relief creates the possibility, if the IJC client A--- is careful to behave impeccably, and if we can successfully defend the appeal, that his Lawful Permanent Resident ("green card") status will be restored and he will be able to remain in the United States. Our client A---- has lived in the United States since he was nine and at the age of 14 started working as well as taking care of his invalid mother, elderly father, and challenged young sister.
Current Student Attorneys Rebecca E. King and Alejandro Mendez-Novoa worked incredibly hard for weeks to assemble the evidence and prepare the client for an extremely difficult individual Immigration Court hearing. Congratulations to Alejandro, Rebecca, our client and his family.
Additionally, congratulations to the preceding Student Attorneys who kept this young man's case alive for the seven years it took to reach at least temporary victory: Kathryn Sullivan, Darren Guild, Melissa Peace, Nicholas Weiler, Jeffrey DeCruz, Andrea Madrid, Craig Relles, Pouyan Darian, Michael Tracey, Jennifer Pacheco, Katie Méndez, Seth Levy, Bing Bing Zheng, Julisa Medina, Michael Segreto, Kristin Jung, Emily Bendaña, Luis R. Rodriguez, Karine Patiño, Roshanica Cassie, Luis Leon, and Hasmik Vardanyan.
Professor Vanessa Merton notes that “[t]his was a true "si se puede" case and I could not be more proud of what these lawyers were able to achieve despite a constant barrage of major obstacles. Persistence is, indeed, the signature virtue of the immigration attorney.”
