I returned to find the mountain of papers greatly replenished, but after a good night of sleep I was well prepared to reach the peak. On my second day I spent a bit more time talking with other people around the office. The building, suite number 140, houses the businesses of all three Polanco sisters. There is an accounting business, a tax law firm, and an immigration law firm (where I work). Every staff member speaks fluent Spanish and there are always a million things going on at once! Today I sat and sifted through a few more cases, took a lunch break, and then had one of the coolest experiences of my life.
The firm offers an incredible opportunity to all of its clients-practice interviews. Prospective immigrants have to navigate a labyrinth of paperwork, translations, and general chaos in order to attain citizenship and attending a practice asylum interview showed me just how much they have to deal with. I sat in as a couple from Venezuela ran through an entire mock interview, answering questions that ranged from the addresses of all of their past residences from the last five years to the social security numbers of their children. The entire process lasted an hour and a half, a time I was told was uncharacteristically short, and by the end the couple and everyone in the room was drained.
The process of obtaining asylum status requires individuals to prove that they would be facing a viable threat upon return to their home countries, that the threat comes from an organized group, that they as individuals are being specifically targeted, and that the government is in some form allowing for the harassment to occur. After listening to the parents tell their story I was incredibly frustrated. It was so obvious to me that their family had suffered an inexcusable injustice, yet they still don’t have an official date for their interview despite the fact that their case was filed nearly five years ago. After leaving the practice interview, I continued my alphabetization with a renewed vigor- trying to do everything in my ability to expedite the process.
(Photography is a challenge due to client lawyer relationships)