Seventeen members of the Duke Law Clinic and volunteers from students supported 37 people in one of the largest immigration centers in the country in autumn 2024 semesters.
The students – members of the immigrant law clinic and volunteers of the Duke Immigrant & Refugee Projekt (Dirp) – stated their customers in the Stewart Detention Center in rural lumpkin, Georgia, screening, advice and other services. They applied for the dismissal from a long time, sat down for better medical care and discharge from detention for those who suffer from serious illnesses and asked questions of intellectual competence with immigration judges so that in these cases the lawyer can be appointed if necessary. Her work also led to the publication of two people who now have a much greater chance of fulfilling their demands on asylum.
Improvement of the chances of a successful claim
Han
Dana Han '25, a student attack in the clinic, secured the release of two asylum seekers, both of whom fled in their birth countries before persecution. Han said that a customer, a citizen of the Central African Republic, had remained in ice custody for more than a month without an interview because there was no interpreters in his mother tongue.
Han persuaded the asylum office to enable him to apply for asylum in an immigration court outside the internment management center. Han also carried out several interviews with the customer, verified evidence, supported him to fill out his asylum application, and made a complaint with the ombudsman's office. The customer was released less than a week later.
The other customer, a Haitian citizen, joined the United States in 2022 and was initially released from detention, but was brought into ice custody in the fall semester. Han submitted an application for release (a “probation request”) with ice, which submitted his asylum saying, his protection as part of another program for certain Haitian citizens and extensive evidence of the family and the customer's support system in the USA. He showed that he was neither a danger nor a risk of flight and should be able to find his case in front of the immigration authority.
Now both customers are in a better position to secure lawyers, gather evidence, prepare themselves in their cases and spend time with family members and friends, all factors that make them far more likely in their demands on asylum.
“Nothing comparable to the moment you can see that your work has helped someone go home,” said Han.
In addition to Han, clinic members Avery Allen '26, Olivia Callan '25, Juan Colin '26, Taylor Dempsey '25 and Amber Holder Jemmott '25 were.
Volunteers of Dirp, a Pro-Bono project led by students, were Dorian Alexis '27, Emma Badia '27, Rachel Carroll '27, Medhaka Fernando LLM '25, Zoe Holtzman '26, Ki-Baek Kim '26, Bailiny Oweny '27, Esha Saigal27 and.
Boles leading works on behalf of prisoners
Clinical colleague Matt Boles
Not in North Carolina from the US immigration and customs (ICE) in North Carolina, non -state members are often transferred to Stewart, a complex in which almost 2,000 people can be accommodated. The clinic expanded its work there in August 2024 with the addition of Matthew “Matt” Boles as Stewart Detung Center Clinical Fellow.
“I have seen a unique opportunity to bring Matt's years of experience with representing people in the Stewart detention center for students from Duke and close an urgent service in the region,” said clinic director Kate Evans. “I led teams of volunteers to work with matt in 2023 and 2024, and I knew that he would be an excellent addition to the legal faculty.”
“I am incredibly honored and grateful to work with students and other faculties in order to expand the presence of Duke's immigration and to offer imprisoned noncitizens urgently needed support,” said Boles.
He found that several organizations sent the transfers of the clinic for complicated cases to recognize their advocacy: “This is proof of the work morality of the students, the attention to detail and the skills of the students. I look forward to continuing our important work in the spring semester, and the students to gain real experience.”
