Trauma-Informed Lawyering and the Asylum Declaration

Many asylum seekers have very little physical evidence to substantiate the persecution that they have experienced in their home country or their fear of being returned. Their testimony is given significant weight, and a well-crafted Declaration paints for the Adjudicator a picture of the client’s experience—and how those details satisfy the elements of asylum.  The stronger a Declaration, the more likely that the Adjudicator will have fewer questions for the client at the Interview or Individual Hearing.

Many asylum seekers have also experienced significant trauma in their lives—it’s these traumatic events that often make up the basis for their asylum claims. Details that will make their cases stronger can sometimes be difficult to gather; some clients have never shared these painful experiences or their sexuality, gender identity, or HIV status with others. Building trust through communication, professionalism, and attention to detail is invaluable to the process.

This training is provided by Oasis’ Rachele Kafele and ALRP’s Slater Stanley. The presentation focuses on trauma-informed lawyering practices combined with how to write a Declaration for an asylum case (mostly focused on LGBTQ+ asylum cases). Following the training, we would be thrilled to connect you with an ALRP client in need of Declaration support at this time.