UnLocal’s Clients and Projects
UnLocal’s Legal Representation
UnLocal Inc. offers free, high-quality legal consultations, representation to New York City immigrant communities. Our team focuses on providing legal representation to undocumented immigrants facing removal. We represent individuals in a variety of immigration matters, including Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), asylum (affirmative and defensive), cancellation of removal, ICE check-ins, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). UnLocal attorneys also represent a handful of individuals who have already been deported from the United States and are seeking to return. UnLocal attorneys work on asylum, cancellation of removal and forms of immigration relief for clients in removal proceedings. Our focus is working on cases with highly complex issues of law and collateral social services needs that are not likely to get placed at other immigration legal service providers.
Immigrant Child Legal Services Project
The Immigrant Child Legal Services Project (ICLS Project) launched in 2012 provides direct legal representation to assist New York City’s undocumented youth in obtaining Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) and/or other immigration benefits, such as asylum, prosecutorial discretion and/or “U” and “T” visas for survivors of crimes and trafficking. These forms of immigration relief ultimately lead to permanent status. The need for increased legal representation in this area is profound and UnLocal attorneys have taken on larger caseloads to try and address this need. As part of the legal representation, UnLocal staff also provide collateral social services to meet the non-legal needs of our young clients.
LGTBQ+ Immigrant Youth Justice Project
The LGBTQ+ Immigrant Youth Justice Project (“Project”) was launched through an Equal Justice Work Fellowship at the end of 2017. The Project aims to provide LGBTQ+ affirming legal representation for LGBTQ+ immigrant youth of color during this time of heightened and changing immigration enforcement. Building upon UnLocal’s existing programs, the Project addresses the intersectional needs of youth that identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, with an emphasis on the immigrant subpopulation vulnerable to being victims of crime, abuse, human trafficking, and other forms of violence. The Project provides pro bono legal services for legal name changes, gender marker changes, affirmative and defensive immigration representation, and also provides referrals to social service organizations. The Project’s community-based education and engagement is conducted through UnLocal’s Community Education program.