Immigration Clinic Client Victories

On March 7, 2018, I shared the announcement below. Please join me and Professor Vera in congratulating S-M- and her daughter, N-M-, who were granted permanent resident status on August 9, 2022. In addition to those mentioned below, Spoorthi Datla, Olivia Russo, Julia Yang, and Kirsten Ryan also worked on the cases.

"'I would rather put my life at risk than my daughter's.' Please join me in congratulating Immigration Clinic student-attorney Dana Florkowski and her client, S-M, from El Salvador.  This morning, after a three-hour hearing, immigration judge (IJ) Quynh Vu Bain granted the asylum application of S-M and her eighteen year-young daughter.  The ICE trial attorney waived appeal so the grant is final.  This was the fourth asylum grant won by the student-attorneys this semester.  Fifteen lives have been saved.

S-M and her abuser met and lived together in the USA.  After repeated beatings, rapes, and verbal abuse, S-M called the police, which lead to the abuser's removal to El Salvador.  After his return to El Salvador, the abuser and his brother, who have connections with the Mara 18 gang, threatened to kill S-M's mother and daughter, who remained there, unless S-M rejoined him.  Despite her concerns, S-M decided to return to El Salvador because, as she testified, "I would rather put my life at risk than my daughter's."  S-M's US citizen son, the son of her abuser, accompanied her to El Salvador.  After her return, the beatings, rapes, and verbal abuse continued.  S-M decided to flee El Salvador after the abuser threatened to kill her and turn her daughter over to the Mara 18 gang to be raped.  Sadly, S-M and her daughter fled so quickly she had to leave behind her son.  During this morning's hearing, the IJ said she was troubled by S-M's voluntary return to El Salvador.  Dana explained that the return was not voluntary, and she cited the psychological evidence of the abuser's control over S-M. The IJ concluded that S-M's return to El Salvador was under duress.  Now that S-M and her daughter are safe, the student-attorneys will work to reunite her son, now nine, with her.

Congratulations also to Alyssa Currier, Karoline Núñez, and Jonathan Bialosky, who previously worked on this case."


"H-L- and I want to start a family, we want to save money so we can hopefully travel to Hawaii for our honeymoon, and I would like to attend college to study science or math."

On August 3, 2022, our client M-A- from Ghana was approved for his green card based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, H-L-. M-A- applied for his green card on June 18, 2020 and had two green card interviews, one on July 8, 2021 and the second on July 26, 2022. Now that M-M- has his green card, he and his wife H-L- plan to move forward on adoption proceedings of S-L-, a two-year-old U.S. citizen that they are raising together. The above is what M-A- said in his affidavit describing his relationship with his wife.

Please join me and Professor Vera in congratulating M-A-, H-L-, S-L- and the student-attorneys, who worked on the case - Allison Ballinger, Ramneet Sierra, Navil Infante, Samuel Thomas, Lea Aoun, and Naomi Gale.


On August 3, 2022, our client M-M- from Mozambique was approved for her green card based on her VAWA claim. M-M- was married to a U.S. citizen, who abused her mentally and physically. He filed a green card application on her behalf, purposely leaving out important documents and information in the hopes that the application would be denied and she would eventually be deported. It was after that filing that M-M- came to the Clinic, and with the help of student-attorney Halima Nur, the filing was updated to a VAWA petition on November 14, 2019. M-M- reports that she recently received a promotion at work and she looks forward to the new opportunities her green card will bring her.

Please join me and Professor Vera in congratulating M-M- and the student-attorneys who worked on this case - Halima Nur, Ni Hsieh, and Jose Hernandez.


"We did it!!! I am SO happy with the tears in my eyes!!!!"

Please join me and Professor Vera in congratulating Immigration Clinic client, K-H-, from Indonesia, and her student-attorneys, Jordan Nelson, Julia Yang, and Alex Chen. The client's asylum application was filed on December 3, 2018, she had two interviews at the Asylum Office, on November 10, 2021 and March 2, 2022, and she was granted asylum on May 24, 2022. The above-captioned is what K-H- said upon learning about her asylum grant.

K-H- is a lesbian woman. Throughout her life, she has had to hide her identity for fear that her family would disown her and that she would be arrested, physically harmed, or even killed if she was outed in her country. K-H- came to the U.S. in 2017 to work as a nanny. During that time, her host family was also hostile towards members of the LGBTQ+ community. Afraid once again, K-H- moved households and with the support of that host family and the Immigration Clinic, she decided to apply for asylum so that she could live her life openly as a lesbian woman. K-H- now volunteers for several LGBTQ+ initiatives, including a theater program for LGBTQ+ people of color. She finds that sharing her story is therapeutic. When Professor Vera asked how K-H- planned to celebrate, she replied that she will be celebrating with her new girlfriend.


"My heart is full! My heart is full."

Please join me and Professor Vera in congratulating Immigration Clinic client, R-A-, from Nigeria, and his student-attorneys, Olivia Russo, LinLin Teng, Kennady Peek, Lea Aoun, and Megan Elman. The client's asylum application was filed on December 3, 2018, his interview at the Asylum Office was on September 3, 2021, and he was granted asylum on May 18, 2022. We received the approval notice yesterday. The above-captioned is what R-A- said upon learning about his asylum grant.

R-A- is a gay man and LGBTQ+ activist. Throughout his entire life, R-A- experienced bullying and threats and had to keep his dating life a secret. However, things got even worse for him once he started an LGBTQ+ online magazine that received international attention. His family disowned him. A former classmate also set him up and he was physically beaten, sexually assaulted, called derogatory names, blackmailed, and outed. Since coming to the US, R-A- has continued to work on his online publication and volunteer for other LGBTQ+ initiatives. He hopes to one day attend law school in the US.


 "Thank you for your good news and hard work and help for all these years. This is life changing and unforgettable moment of my life. I am forever grateful for you."

Please join me and Professor Vera in congratulating Immigration Clinic client, T-Y-, from China, and his student-attorneys, Gisela Camba, Esder Chong, Jordan Nelson, Tessa Pulaski, and Julia Yang. The client's asylum application was filed on April 6, 2018, his interview at the Asylum Office was on November 8, 2021, and he was granted asylum on May 17, 2022. The above-captioned is what T-Y- said upon learning about his asylum grant.

T-Y- is a Muslim Uyghur, an ethnic and religious minority in China. Due to his decades-long work as an Uyghur activist, he was persecuted by the Chinese government. T-Y- was falsely imprisoned, sentenced to a 're-education camp', physically and psychologically tortured, and had his movements restricted and monitored. Despite everything he has endured, T-Y- continues his Uyghur advocacy work from within the United States and has even consulted with U.S. politicians and government agencies about the treatment of Uyghurs in China.


"De verdad no encuentro palabras suficientes para hacerles saber cuán agradecida me siento con todos ustedes por sus sabias y oportunas orientaciones en todo momento y por la dedicación y compromiso que desde un primer instante asumieron para con nuestro caso de asilo." // "I really do not find enough words to let you know how grateful I am to all of you for your wise and timely guidance at all times and for the dedication and commitment that you assumed from the first moment towards our asylum case."

Please join me in congratulating Immigration Clinic client T-G and her son F-P, from Venezuela, and their student-attorneys Karoline Núñez, Samuel Thomas, Alexandra Chen, and Jeremy Patton. The clients' asylum application was filed April 28, 2017, their interview at the Asylum Office was on November 1, 2021, and the grant was issued March 21, 2022.

T-G is a survivor of domestic violence at the hands of her husband. He'd punch T-G, force her to have sexual relations, infected her with a STD, and he blamed her for their daughter's neurological issues. Their daughter contracted Zika but was unable to receive the appropriate treatment because T-G was not a supporter of the Maduro government. Their daughter died at age 14.

June 16, 2021 - "We never go to bed angry." That's what our client, W-C-, describes as the secret to making his marriage work. On June 16, 2021,W-C- was approved for a green card based on his marriage to his U.S. citizen husband, J-C-. W-C- had his interview at USCIS the day before, where he was represented by Clinic intern, Jasmine Martinez, JD '23. Though the USCIS officer was tough, Team W-C- was tougher. W-C- was initially represented by the Clinic for an asylum case after being arrested, sexually assaulted, and disowned by his family in Zimbabwe for being a gay man. While in the U.S. waiting for an interview on his asylum case, he met his husband and is now the stepfather to J-C-'s two small girls. The Clinic was especially proud to celebrate this victory during Pride Month. Please join me in congratulating Abril Costanza Lara, Esder Chong, Halima Nur, Sanaa Khan, Jasmine Martinez, and Paulina Vera, who all worked on the case.


May 22, 2021 - GW Law Immigration Clinic law students write to Congress advocating for the introduction of legislation creating a politically independent immigration court system. Read the full letter (PDF).


March 19, 2021 - "I told him about it and he was happy and crying at the same time. Thank you so much your team is just awesome! God bless y'all so much!" On March 19, 2021, our client P-M- shared this message after learning that she was granted a T visa for victims of trafficking. When P-M- was 11 years old, her stepfather, who worked for the embassy of the African country they are from, brought P-M- and her mother to the United States. Her stepfather began to isolate P-M- in their home to sexually abuse her and even did so inside of the embassy. He threatened to send P-M- back to Africa to live by herself if she told anyone what happened. The abuse continued for two years. As a result of the sexual abuse she faced as a minor, P-M- suffered from eating disorders and suicidal ideation in her adulthood.  In 2019, with the emotional support of her husband, A-M-, P-M- reported her stepfather to the police and he was ultimately sentenced to eight years in prison. A-M- is currently in removal proceedings and the Clinic will move to terminate these proceedings based on A-M-'s derivative T visa status. This means that P-M-, A-M-, and their three U.S. citizen children, all under the age of 10, can stay together in the United States. Please join in congratulating Navil Infante, Leah Aoun, Madeleine Delurey, Sam Thomas, Sarah Husk, Julia Yang, and Paulina Vera, who all worked with team P-M-/A-M-.


January 15, 2021 - After over five years, three interviews, one request for evidence, one almost-filed mandamus action, and countless inquiries, our client M-M- was finally granted asylum by the Arlington Asylum Office on January 15, 2021. The application was filed on November 25, 2015. M-M- is a Muslim lawyer from Iran who received threats from the government based on her human rights work and her involvement in the 2009 presidential election. M-M- was also threatened and sexually assaulted after a stranger became aware of her relationship with a Jewish Iranian man. M-M- came to the U.S. to further her education and pursue an LLM but feared returning to Iran because she continued her human rights work here and also maintained romantic relationships with non-Muslim partners. Sadly, the prolonged delay in M-M-'s case has caused her to defer many opportunities, like pursuing her JD, and has further exacerbated her PTSD. Please join in congratulating Fayruz Lama, Sebastian Weinmann, Sanaa Khan, Alex North, Amy Lattari, Allison Mateo, Chen Liang, Michaela Andriatch, Sameen Ahmadnia, Paulina Vera, and Jonathan Bialosky, who all worked on the case.


September 2, 2020 - "They told my mom they would hit her where it hurt the most - me and my brother." On September 2, 2020, 3L and student-attorney Sarah Husk represented her client, J-M-L-, during his affirmative asylum interview at the Arlington Asylum Office. J-M-L- originally filed his asylum application back in Dec. 2016 with the help of the Immigration Clinic. J-M-L-'s stepfather, E-H-, worked as a janitor at a police station in El Salvador. 18th Street gang members began to write threatening letters to E-H- accusing him of snitching to the police. Even after J-M-L-'s stepfather fled the area, the gang members called J-M-L-'s mother to continue the threats, telling her that if she didn't stop hiding E-H-, they would come after J-M-L- and his brother. After 4-5 calls like this, J-M-L- fled to the United States to seek protection because as he said in his interview, "[the gang members] don't play around and you don't wait around until they hurt you." Unfortunately, the application was referred to Immigration Court where the Immigration Clinic will continue to represent J-M-L and win him asylum. Please join in congratulating Sarah Husk, Rachel Kidd, Evan Hunt, Chen Liang, Celina Marquez, and Jonathan Bialosky, who all worked on the case.