Helping Refugees Around the World Find a New Home

In recognition of the human spirit that compels people to leave their homes and communities in pursuit of a safer, better life, on June 20 the United Nations celebrated World Refugee Day. Through its pro bono program, Dechert and its lawyers around the world are playing a leading role in securing asylum status and other benefits for people – and especially children – who are seeking refuge. Some of these stories include:

• Just in time for Pride Month, New York partner Douglas Dunham and associate Tanya Warnke, along with paralegals Bernard Powell, Anna Aviles Alfaro, and Michael DeLuca, helped a gay couple from Venezuela obtain asylum in the U.S.:
  
  “Our clients fled Venezuela and sought asylum in the U.S. after having suffered persistent discrimination, harassment, psychological abuse and violent physical attacks on account of their sexual orientation,” says Doug. “Upon reporting the hate crimes against them to Venezuelan authorities, our clients were ridiculed and the authorities declined to help them.”
  
  After arriving in the U.S., in 2017, the couple fulfilled their dream of getting married, something that is neither permitted or recognized in Venezuela. They applied for asylum shortly thereafter and have been waiting for their day in court for the past six years.
  
  On June 14, 2023, their case came before the U.S. Immigration Court in New York City. “Our written submissions on behalf of our clients convinced the U.S. government attorney that our clients’ asylum claims should be granted,” says Tanya. “The Immigration Judge proceeded to grant asylum to our clients so they can now live safely as permanent U.S. residents. Our clients were thrilled with this outcome.”

• In Paris, associates Yona Elfassi and Margaux Lasseigne are working to help Afghan refugees:
  
  “Since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, the situation of many Afghan people, especially women and girls and people with relations to Western countries, is particularly complicated,” says Margaux. “Dechert, in collaboration with Safe Passage, is working to assist Afghans who have links to France but have not been evacuated by the French authorities.”
  
  “Accessing the right legal advice at the right time is a vital issue. To date, we have assisted three Afghans with applications for family reunification, including an urgent case for an Afghan mother whose two-year-old child remains in Afghanistan.”
  
  
• In Hong Kong, Drew Singer leads the firm’s work with RUN HK advising refugees in Hong Kong who are applying for sponsored settlement in Canada:
  
  “As the Hong Kong government does not accept permanent settlement of any refugees, RUN HK works with NGOs in Canada, such as the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services, to help resettle refugees,” explains Drew. “Through our connection with RUN, we are representing two sets of clients – one an individual and the other a family of five – to assist these asylum seekers with their applications for resettlement in Canada.”
  
  “RUN HK works to align private sponsors for refugees, which helps bypass a lengthy and bureaucratic immigration process. Our job is to help build a comprehensive supporting narrative that explains the reasons for the refugees’ flight from their home countries and the legal basis for their claims. These stories involve serious trauma, so the Dechert team has taken psychological sensitivity training in order to gather necessary information from our clients without re-traumatizing them.”
  
  
• These stories are often personal, as well. For Washington, D.C.-based paralegal Anna Avilés-Alfaro, helping her client – an asylum seeker from Honduras – brought up memories for her own experience as an immigrant. After the client’s request for asylum was initially rejected, Dechert moved for reconsideration based on the traumatic experiences the client had faced in her home country.
  
  “Though I had spoken to her before and was somewhat familiar with her case, this was the first time I read her story. It broke my heart,” says Anna. After Dechert’s intervention, the client was finally granted asylum, and Anna got to deliver the good news. “I handed her the envelope containing her green card, the golden ticket that so many immigrants strive for. As I walked back to my desk, I thought about that summer day in 1988 when my parents and I drove to the city, to pick-up our own golden tickets – the green card that that has given me the chance to prosper and live my own American dream.” For more on Anna’s story, see this video.

These are just a few examples of the many projects the firm has taken on to support people and families seeking refuge. Others include:

• In Ireland, Dechert works with Kids in Need of Defence (KIND) Ireland, the Immigrant Council of Ireland and the Irish Refugee Council to support unaccompanied teenage refugees with family reunification applications.  A team of lawyers in our Dublin office are working on 10 applications to reunite teenagers from Somalia and Afghanistan with their families.
  
• In the U.S. and Ireland, teams of Dechert lawyers are working with local non-profits to provide assistance to hundreds of refugees from Ukraine.

About Dechert 

Dechert is a leading global law firm with 21 offices around the world. We advise on matters and transactions of the greatest complexity, bringing energy, creativity and efficient management of legal issues to deliver commercial and practical advice for clients.