Pro Bono Teams Secure Asylum for Clients From Guatemala and Honduras

Two Ropes & Gray teams successfully secured asylum for clients before the Boston Immigration Court in late 2022 and early 2023.

Through the firm's medical-legal partnership with the Volunteer Lawyers Project, one team represented a woman and her 2-year-old son. The family left Guatemala for the United States after facing domestic abuse. The team, including health care partner Deborah Gardner, spent nearly a year preparing and assembling the requisite documents for the asylum hearing in December 2022.

A second team represented a woman from Honduras who had also faced domestic abuse. Working through the firm's medical-legal partnership with DotHouse Health, the team included litigation & enforcement associate Desiree Pelletier and asset management associates Bill Fris and Ariana Campos, with mentorship from health care partner Deborah Gardner and prior assistance from asset management associate Linda Hsu and several former Ropes & Gray associates. This matter took nearly six years to conclude, with the Ropes & Gray team appearing before the Boston Immigration Court this January.

In both instances, the immigration judge granted our clients' asylum claims, and the Department of Homeland Security waived any appeals. Today, our clients are living safely in Boston.