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Mr. G is a Venezuelan asylum seeker who arrived in the US less than one year ago. Shortly after his arrival in the US, he was arrested following an argument with a stranger who insulted him, urging him to "go back to his country," and making accusations to the police that Mr. G could not understand.
Mr. G's public defender referred him to PAIFUP for an immigration consult. During the consultation, the PAIFUP counsel identified that during the mere 5 days Mr. G was in state custody, he missed his first Master Calendar Hearing and was ordered removed, in absentia. Mr. G was devastated to learn this. He had just arrived in the United States to seek asylum and he was fearing persecution if he was forced to return to Venezuela. However, because the public defender flagged Mr. G's case so quickly, he was still within the window for filing a motion to reopen his immigration proceedings. PAIFUP took on Mr. G’s case for immigration representation, acting quickly to reduce the risk of Mr. G’s detention and deportation, with the goal of allowing him to pursue his fear-based immigration case.
Through PAIFUP’s partnership with the Philadelphia Defender Association, the PAIFUP counsel advised the public defender regarding the immigration consequences of Mr. G’s criminal case and precautions they could take to protect him from a potential ICE pickup at the courthouse.
Next, the public defender successfully got Mr. G’s criminal case dismissed. Consequently, the PAIFUP counsel submitted a motion to reopen to the Immigration Court, asking that the Court give Mr. G his day in court and a fair shot to seek asylum. Only five days after submitting the Motion to Reopen, the IJ granted the motion, finding that exceptional circumstances caused Mr. G to miss his first immigration court hearing. The PAIFUP counsel then immediately filed his I-589, Application for Asylum, reviving Mr. G’s hopes for pursuing asylum and gaining long-term safety and stability in the United States.
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