Our pro se legal clinics were designed to empower those who are leading the fight and to move away from the perception of our friends as people who have things done to them, who are passive recipients of brutality. We recognize that our friends have political agency, and their actions are expressions of their political will. When someone crosses a border against unjust law, that is a political act performed with political agency. When someone is detained, or deported, these are acts imbued with political agency. Being undocumented is an act of civil disobedience. And so, with our friends taking charge, we provide information about how, even without lawyers, they can create and pursue their own legal defense strategies.
The clinics are run mostly by non-lawyer volunteers, decentralizing the power historically given to attorneys, and awakening US citizens to the realities of the immigration system. The clinic has also radicalized lawyers, who have come to recognize that they do not hold a monopoly on the strategies to fight detention and deportation.
We welcome volunteers of all backgrounds and language proficiency. There is a new volunteer orientation at 5:30 PM, and first time volunteers will shadow an experienced team to learn how we work.
Contact:
239 Thompson St. New York, NY 10012
646-395-2925
info@newsanctuarynyc.org
http://www.newsanctuarynyc.org/