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Through our partnerships with immigrant-led community groups, domestic violence organizations, and newcomer centers, we have created an informal referral network to connect us with those most in need. We take all referrals on a rolling basis. 

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How do we do this? 

 

Legal Representation:

The truth is that when immigrants have representation, they fare vastly better in the immigration system. Especially in the south where many Immigration Judge’s denial rates hover well above 90%. Many adult asylum seekers lack the resources and connections to pay 10,000 or more for robust representation.

 

The only alternative is to face a complex administrative law process, with no legal help at all. The groups identified above have winnable cases in immigration court. The only barrier to that win is funds. Funds for an attorney, funds for therapy, funds for an expert. As an attorney serving this community, I have worked tirelessly to provide robust representation on a shoestring budget. GiraSol solves this issue by pairing the client with a team of lawyers. One full time attorney works directly with the client every step of the way to prepare a robust asylum case. A secondary attorney from our legal research and writing team works to prepare all necessary legal briefs, based on the client’s particular case. 

 

Therapeutic Care:

It goes without saying that folks fleeing indescribable violence in their home countries require therapeutic care. This need is two-fold: first, in order to properly present their immigration cases, the client must cogently retell their traumatic experience several times, and be prepared to do so under the pressures and scrutiny of a court & judge. Second, in order to heal and build safe and stable lives in the United States, clients must have access to trauma focused therapy for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, many immigrants are excluded from mental & behavioral health services due to lack of health insurance and resources for private pay.

 

In our experience, we have seen clients attempt to narrate the worst experiences of their lives, only to falter and struggle. When this occurs in court,  it can easily be used to invalidate the truth of the client’s story. Therapy helps the client heal and is a critical step in effective representation. All clients receiving legal representation will be referred to our therapist where they would be offered individual and family therapy, based on their needs.  Additionally, clients will also receive mental health evaluations where necessary for their immigration cases (ie;  Asylum, U-Visa, T-Visa, and VAWA processes).  These evaluations can be prohibitively expensive for marginalized individuals - our program will ensure that all clients have access in order to effectively document and present their cases.

 

Case Management: 

Newcomer immigrants and refugees are building lives in new geographic, cultural, and linguistic contexts. Many arrive with few or no family or community connections, and face language, literacy, transportation, and technological barriers to navigating their new communities.  Clients will be connected with case management to ease the transition and guide families towards self-sufficiency: to locate health services, enroll in schools, connect with basic needs support, and problem solve and identify essential services in times of crisis. 

 

Emergency Funds:

Recent arrivals to the United States seeking asylum face nearly insurmountable barriers to accessing basic services, and are often denied access outright. Public services such as food stamps, Medicaid, even some Food Banks, require identity and status documents that this community cannot access. Even something as simple as a bank account is inaccessible for our clients. In order to properly serve our clients, we plan to provide emergency funds for food, clothing, and child-related supplies. 

 

More often than not the barrier to leaving an abusive or exploitative situation is the money necessary for a deposit. Something as small as $100 in a grocery store gift card means that a family will be able to survive. Relieving our clients of the worry of where they can access diapers for their children allows them to stabilize, focus, and win their cases. 

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What makes us different: 

We are 

- Women founded and led

- Fully bilingual (Spanish and English)

- 25+ years of immigration law experience

- Unflinching dedication to justice for immigrants

 

GiraSol's model is different: The client is the family. We don’t just provide legal rep and support to one identified client, rather, to any derivative family member who qualifies for legal assistance. We consider the legal and therapeutic needs of the whole family, and co-create the best service plan for everyone involved. This holistic care promotes family wellness: we aim to prevent the challenging power dynamics and access stratification that can occur within a family when certain members receive services or acquire status, and others don’t. 

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We work with partners to identify marginalized individuals who would otherwise fall through the cracks, as well as to connect our clients and families with a robust community network to meet their needs.