News

The need for legal assistance in Dallas for immigrants in removal proceedings who fear persecution in their home countries is at an all-time high. To help meet this need, local immigration attorneys and non-profit organizations have been collaborating to organize Pro Se Asylum Clinics. These clinics are very much in need of additional volunteers, particularly Spanish-speaking volunteers, both attorneys and non-attorneys, and we ask all of our DHBA members to consider taking a day to volunteer. 

Volunteers at the clinic will first be trained on a Thursday evening and will then assist immigrants in completing their applications for asylum during the Saturday clinic. This is a discrete, one-day volunteer opportunity, which would be perfect for attorneys who want to help immigrants in need but are not able to take on an asylum claim for full representation before an Immigration Judge.  

Here is some more information on the clinic:  http://interactives.dallasnews.com/2015/asylum/

The clinic schedule’s is posted at www.zoltanlaw.com under the Outreach tab. 

The upcoming schedule is as follows:

• Thursday, Sep. 12th, 6:30-8:30, Volunteer Training for Pro Se Asylum Clinic, Law Office of Paul S. Zoltan, 8610 Greenville Ave., Suite 100, Dallas 75243
• Saturday, Sep. 14th, 10:00-4:00, Pro Se Asylum Clinic, RAICES, Midway Tower, 4230 Lyndon B Johnson Fwy #225, Dallas 75244
• Thursday, Nov. 7, 6:30-8:30, Volunteer Training for Pro Se Asylum Clinic, Law Office of Paul S. Zoltan, 8610 Greenville Ave., Suite 100, Dallas 75243
• Saturday, Nov. 9th, 10:00-4:00, Pro Se Asylum Clinic, RAICES, Midway Tower, 4230 Lyndon B Johnson Fwy #225, Dallas 75244

Please email Carol Weinstein at clnewb@gmail.com to register for the training and volunteer at the clinic.

Volunteer opportunities include:

• Assisting clinic participants in preparing an application for asylum during the Saturday clinic
• Translating documents: If you are fluent in Spanish and can assist with translating original documents such as birth certificates and police reports, please email Melissa Kenfield at mbkenfield@gmail.com. This aspect of the project is done entirely through email.  
• Conducting technical review of the applications to correct any errors before filing 
• Assisting the pick-up and filing of the application packets one month after the clinic is held: 1) Review with participants from the earlier clinic corrections to any mistakes that technical review has revealed; 2) Copy the applications and address envelopes for filing; and 3) Prepare (that is, print, number, copy, and tab) or help to prepare packets of documents pertaining to relevant patterns of human rights abuses.

Today the United States Supreme Court agreed to decide the legality of ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The case, Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, will be argued at the Supreme Court term beginning this fall. The Supreme Court's decision is expected by June 2020.

Coverage:

• CNN
• Fox News
• MSNBC
• SCOTUSblog

The Dallas County Criminal District Attorney has issued a notice regarding fingerprint misidentification by a now-deceased Dallas County Sheriff's Deputy.

Saturday plans? Go vote.

Friendly reminder. Saturday, May 4^th is Election Day. There are critical races including the elections for the new Mayor of Dallas, Dallas City Council, DISD school board, and the DCCCD bond election.

On Saturday, the last day to vote, you must vote at your precinct. Did you know early vote turnout in Dallas County was just under 6%? Your vote counts. Be heard. Vote.

Forgot where your precinct is located? Visit Dallas County’s Voter Lookup.  

Do not know who is on your ballot? After you submit your information on the voter lookup you should be able to see your precinct location and a sample ballot.

Have a question about your voter registration? Call Dallas County’s voter registration office at (214) 819-6389.

Need more information about locations, early voting data, or want to follow results? Visit https://www.dallascountyvotes.org/

Here are other helpful links:

• Collin County
• Tarrant County
• State of Texas – Vote Texas

As many of our members may have heard, on April 3, 2019, Immigration & Customs Enforcement conducted a raid of a telecommunications repair company in Allen Texas. Close to 300 immigrants were arrested by ICE while working at the company. Some have been processed and released, while others are still being held.

On Saturday, April 6, 2019, from 1-5 pm, Catholic Charities will be hosting a workshop to assist the immigrant families impacted by the raid.  The workshop will be held from 1 pm-5 pm at:
Chase Oaks Family Center
1896 K Avenue, Suite 200
Plano, TX 75074

A Know Your Rights Presentation will be held from 1 pm-2 pm.  A Family Preparedness workshop will be held from 2 pm-5 pm, and individual immigration screenings to offer brief legal advice will also be held from 2 pm-5 pm.

Attorneys are needed to staff all three components of the workshop.  If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up using this link.  Please contact Nubia Torres at ntorres@ccdallas.org and Patricia Freshwater at freshwater@dfwvisa.com with any questions.

Amigos:

We are excited to partner with the Dallas Bar Association to sponsor a very special CLE trip to Mexico City! Several folks have expressed interest and we want to make sure everyone knows that YOU MUST REGISTER BY MARCH 1, 2019.

Take a minute to look at the itinerary – this trip is put together especially for us and we want as many of our members to go as possible. In addition to the history, food, and sightseeing, there is a special service opportunity to aid individuals at a local refugee lodging program.

We hope to see you there!

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am both inspired and humbled to begin our year as the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association President.  This year we celebrate DHBA's 50th Anniversary.  I am very mindful of the legacy of this organization and all the great work done by those who have served in the past.  I want to thank all of you who have supported our work in various capacities and invite you to become even more engaged as we embark on a genuinely ambitious set of priorities this year.  

Our new Board of Directors is made up of exceptionally talented advocates with a demonstrated commitment to public service.  I can assure you that we will be doing all we can to make an impact in our profession and community.  We would like to welcome:

• President Javier Perez
• President-Elect Isaac Faz
• Vice-President Elsa Manzanares
• Treasurer Claudia M. Guerrero-Nava
• Secretary Tricia Freshwater
• Director Hon. Jaime Resendez 
• Director Carla Green
• Director Joe Carreon

I invite you to join us at our upcoming events and to get involved with one of our fantastic committees.  I look forward to working with each of you this year as we continue the important work before us.

Saludos,

Javier Perez
DHBA President
president@dallashispanicbar.com

Friends,

First let me thank you for your support. During the past 12 months, the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association continued to grow and continued to make an impact in our community through programs, volunteering, and raising dollars for scholarships. We could not have done this without you and our 2018 board – DHBA Officers Javier Perez, Larry Banda, Jes Alexander, Nicole Munoz and DHBA Directors Trisha Freshwater, Elsa Manzanares, Matt Phillips and Angelina LaPenotiere.

Thank you for volunteering at several events from the Karnes Pro Bono Project to the Noche de Luz. What else have we been doing? Look here to see a few fliers from our 2018 events. Want to help us make a bigger impact in 2019? Renew your DHBA membership and ask a friend to join. DHBA is an inclusive organization, thus if you want to make an impact all you need to do is sign up. If you join via the Dallas Bar Association, you can join the DBA and DHBA for one price and double the benefits. You can also visit our site at http://dallashispanicbar.com/Membership.

It has been a pleasure to serve as the DHBA 2018 President. I wish you all a prosperous and healthy 2019.

Juntos Podemos,

Isaac Faz

This fall, the DHBA recruited volunteers to provide free legal services for immigrants detained in the Karnes immigration detention center near San Antonio. The following is a firsthand report from immigration attorney Amy Hsu on her experience volunteering last week.

At the beginning of December I spent a week volunteering at the Karnes County Residential Center through RAICES, where ICE is holding hundreds of fathers and their minor sons fleeing from Central America. Our volunteer group included myself, Gerardo Villegas (another attorney from Dallas), two attorneys from New York, a paralegal from Colorado, a social worker from New York, and a child therapist from Boston.

We spoke to the fathers, and sometimes the sons, to prepare them for their credible fear interviews, the first hurdle in the process to apply for asylum. Most of them had never been in contact in with an attorney before and only had a very limited understanding of the asylum process. They would have been completely unprepared for their interviews if we hadn't been there. Sometimes we would help RAICES with intake interviews as well. The day started around 9 am and didn't end until visitor hours ended at 8 pm. It was a very intense but very rewarding experience. Everyone that I spoke with was very grateful for the advice and assistance.

At the end of the week all the volunteers agreed that we would do it all again. One of the other volunteers is already looking to volunteer again. The RAICES staff is incredibly dedicated to providing access to legal services for as many people as possible, and it was a privilege to work with them. DHBA was kind enough to provide a stipend to cover travel and lodging expenses.

Today, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a lower court decision requiring the Trump administration to continue accepting renewal applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The government is likely to appeal to the Supreme Court.

News coverage of the decision: