ALRP’s Immigration Work

There is a remote chance that the public’s revulsion to the murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by ICE/CBP agents in Minneapolis will finally cause the federal administration to reign in its lawless anti-immigrant campaign of terror and violence. While no one can count on that, what we do know is that ALRP will continue doing everything possible to combat these injustices and protect HIV+ immigrants from deportation.

ALRP immigration attorneys Slater Stanley and Rafael Benzecry

Last year, our immigration team experienced unprecedented demand, working with a total of 219 clients from 24 countries, a 16% increase over 2024. This work included filing both affirmative and defensive asylum applications, securing employment authorizations, renewing green cards, freeing a client from detention, asking for fee waivers, and petitioning for visas based on a client being a victim of crime or sex trafficking. As of today, we are providing full-scope representation to 18 clients who are in removal proceedings.

We are proud to say that so far, none of our applications and only one motion have been denied. Sadly, it’s unlikely we will be able to sustain this track record, as the ranks of fair-minded immigration judges are being decimated, replaced by temporary appointees or military lawyers with alarmingly higher rates of ordering deportations. (Last year, 20 San Francisco immigration judges were fired or quit, leaving only four seats filled.) That said, we are going to fight as hard as we possibly can to protect those who came to our country to escape violence and discrimination. 

At ALRP, our supporters are helping us provide services to clients like “Sofia,” who came to ALRP after a judge had ordered her deported when she failed to appear at a court hearing in Los Angeles. Immigration Attorney Slater Stanley was able to get her case reopened and the removal order lifted by proving she had missed the hearing because she been kidnapped and sex trafficked. We are now working with Sofia to prepare her application for a T Visa, which is available to those who have been victims of human trafficking. We also prepared Sofia’s employment authorization application, which was approved last month. Now, our Immigration Social Work Intern, Alyssa Gomez, is helping her obtain a Social Security Number and draft a resume.

Thank you for helping us protect the rights, dignity, and health of immigrants living with HIV.