February 2017 Volunteer Spotlight - Volunteer Attorneys at J.F.K. airport

Posted 9 February, 2017

In light of the tremendous efforts and response of our pro bono community following the Immigration Executive Order,  the NYC Pro Bono Center honors the dedication and commitment of the volunteers that went to airports.  We feature this month the City Bar Justice Center, and thank everyone who responded to the call to action we sent out on Wednesday night looking for volunteers.

 

Related Resources

Learn more about volunteer opportunities in immigration, or with the City Bar Justice Center
Finding Immigration Pro Bono Opportunities in New York:  9 Helpful Tools & Resources
Access immigration training and resources in the Immigration Resource Center, hosted by the Immigration Advocates Network
Register for the upcoming free Habeas Petitions training on March 3
Read our previous volunteer spotlight features

 

City Bar Justice Center Takes Action on Immigration

 

In the wake of the Executive Order targeting refugees as well as all non-citizens from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, and Libya, the Immigrant Justice Project at the City Bar Justice Center is joining the efforts of ngo’s and volunteer attorneys at J.F.K. airport.

Immigrant Justice Project staff were at JFK working to free detained immigrants starting on Sunday, coordinating with the volunteer attorneys from dozens of private law firms and non-profits. Attorneys at J.F.K. are drafting habeas corpus petitions and temporary restraining orders to prevent detained individuals from being removed, as well as canvassing the arrivals terminals for families needing assistance and coordinating with journalists to spread information about how the ban is impacting individuals from around the world.


City Bar Justice Center attorneys are also providing Know Your Rights presentations for Muslim-American communities around the city who are concerned about the impact of this Executive Order on their families. 

The City Bar Justice Center is doing a “Special Briefing for Members: Immigration Update on the Executive Order” later this week in response to demand from City Bar members to get involved in defending immigrants. We plan to have this briefing available on demand on our website later this week and anticipate putting out further special briefings in the coming weeks as additional information becomes available.

 

Related News Items

View More


Interested in submitting a volunteer profile? Email us to find out how!


Interested in volunteering?  Start searching for pro bono opportunities by interest area (e.g. family, asylum), community served (e.g. domestic violence victims, children) or location right now by using our interactive NY Pro Bono Opportunities Guide!