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V O L . X X I I N O. X X V I N OV E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 6 24 F ive years ago, a doctor traveled from his home country to Maine because his life was in danger. His government wanted him dead because he had treated some patients who opposed the government. "His country's government has a poor human rights record, so it was believable they would harm him," says Susan Roche, executive director of the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project in Portland. After their lives were threatened, the doctor and his family went into hiding; the doctor fled the country. He was able to travel on a temporary visitor visa he had obtained for a conference he was invited to attend in the United States. In Maine, he found himself homeless. His visitor's visa expired after six months and, in any case, didn't allow him to work. He didn't know how to apply for asylum and couldn't afford a lawyer. At church, he met an American who helped him apply for asylum from the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Later, after he discovered the application had translation errors, an ILAP staff attorney helped correct the mistakes and represented him at his interview. "Your entire case can be denied if there's one mistake," says Roche. "We helped him supplement and correct the application, get the case approved, and get his family to join him … Now he's been here about five years. And there are so many people we see in our office who have that same drive and desire to give back." Solving complex asylum issues e doctor's arrival in Maine was part of an increase in Maine's foreign-born population — 20% between 2000 and 2010, according to census data, says Roche. at increase was reflected in ILAP's client numbers, from fewer than 1,000 annually early on, to around 2,000 today, with many more complex cases such as asylum applications. "Many of those are people who have professional backgrounds and are coming from central Africa — doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers — many with college degrees and sometimes English language skills," says Roche. Why do they come to Maine? "We don't ask, but sometimes they volunteer the information," says Roche. "Sometimes it's word-of-mouth. People from Burundi, Rwanda, Congo, Somalia, Djibouti are now in this area, and people fleeing those countries hear the friend of an uncle lives in Portland, so they want to live in a community they'll identify with and with other people who speak their language." Every immigrant has her own rea- son for moving. Like the doctor, some flee danger as a group or an individual and seek asylum, a complex process. Others seek to join family. Some come for a better life. ILAP doesn't have the capacity to help everyone. "We give priority to clients in danger of persecution, trafficking or domestic vio- lence, and to unaccompanied minors," says Roche. "But there are many more cases we have to triage. We try to direct our limited resources to help clients who are the most vulnerable and where legal representation would have greatest impact." Without legal status, would-be immigrants find it difficult to function. "ey can't get a driver's license or a state ID or a social security num- ber," says Roche. "ey can't qualify for benefits or any other services. at puts people in a vulnerable place. ey can't integrate into the economy and can't support their families." To be granted asylum, applicants must prove a well-founded fear of being persecuted, prove identity, pro- vide detailed statements and corrobo- rating evidence, and must prove the reason they are in danger of persecu- tion is because of race, religion, nation- ality, political opinion or social group. "at's where it's difficult," says Roche. "People don't come with a letter from their persecutor saying they're being persecuted. Sometimes they can use expert witnesses who know this particular group is being targeted, or maybe a statement from family back home. But it can be dangerous." If someone applies for legal status based on a family relationship — for example, marriage — they must docu- ment not only the marriage but also prove they married for love and not just for legal status, and prove they can support themselves once they get residency, or that someone will support them. ey'll need to docu- ment past addresses, jobs, information about parents and more. "Sometimes it's information people don't have," Roche says. "If they're flee- ing from a war-torn country, they don't necessarily have their birth certificate." Why immigrants matter to Maine Immigration law is extremely compli- cated, difficult for even the best-educated immigrants to navigate, says Roche. "at's why we're here," she says. "It's one of the most complicated areas of Susan Roche, executive director of the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, whose roster of nine staffers and 140 volunteer attorneys represent 400 clients a year. Legal nonprofit advocates for immigrants Setting priorities, tackling complex cases B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r F O C U S P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project 309 Cumberland Ave., Portland Founded: 1993 Founders: Peter Darvin, Nan Heald and Beth Stickney Executive director: Susan Roche Staff: Nine; calls on as many as 140 pro bono lawyers Annual budget: $750,000 Core services: Immigration Clinic, about 2,000 people annually: intake/referral, attorney consultations, citizenship workshops, pro se immigration application assistance, brief interventions Full ILAP staff or pro bono attorney representation to about 400 clients annually Advocacy for regulatory/statutory reforms Education/outreach

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