Helping Clients Advocate for Themselves

By Megan Myrick, Volunteer Legal Advocate 

This year, RILA is partnering with the American Bar Association to pilot a Pro Se asylum clinic in an effort to assist Afghan immigrants seeking refuge in the United States. “Pro Se” legal representation is a way for individuals to argue “on behalf of themselves” in legal proceedings, and this form of representation helps us multiply our efforts. Over eight weeks, RILA volunteers meet with their Afghan clients over Zoom to work on their asylum applications and prepare for their interviews with the asylum office.

In general, I was drawn to immigration legal advocacy because I was interacting with immigrants in other contexts, trying to help them and was hitting walls because of their lack of status. I wanted to learn how to help them navigate the immigration system so that they could access jobs and healthcare. RILA offers free quality legal aid to the most vulnerable immigrants during the most crucial part of their journeys. They do it with a compassionate and collaborative approach. I wanted to be a part of it. The attorneys and accredited reps excel at equipping people without prior legal experience to be a part of this work. Through RILA’s meaningful and effective model, they are able to serve a lot of people. 

For eight weeks on Monday nights, Michelle Swearingen has been leading a pilot Pro se Program for Afghan Asylees. The goal of the program is to assist families and individuals who may otherwise not get legal aid for their asylum cases. There aren’t enough legal service providers to fully represent every case. But with these weekly workshops, Afghans are taught how to manage their own cases. They are taught how to complete their forms, how to tell their stories, and how to gather evidence for their cases.

We begin each clinic as a large group meeting during which participants are taught about an aspect of the asylum process. Then individuals break out into one-on-one meetings with a volunteer. With the volunteer, they apply what they have learned and work on their specific applications one step at a time. Some of the volunteers are Afghans who have already been through the asylum process. These Afghans are grateful for the service that RILA has provided them, and they are giving back by serving as interpreters during the sessions.

As a RILA volunteer, I’ve learned that immigration legal aid is more than just helping people. It is a way to help people find the freedom that they need in order to help themselves. God has given every person their own unique talents and gifts. When immigrants find freedom through legal status in the United States, they are able to use those gifts and talents, and that benefits everyone. RILA is helping people do what they were created to do.