The previous presidential administration enacted the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) more commonly known as Remain in Mexico for those who came to the U.S. - Mexico Border at the beginning of 2019. These asylum seekers would have to await their Immigration Court appearances in Mexico (for Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services these asylum seekers remained in Ciudad Juarez, right across from El Paso.) This proved problematic on several fronts as Ciudad Juarez remains a city ripe with drug cartels, kidnappings, and other dangerous situations, especially for these vulnerable asylum seekers. We are currently seeing MPP 2.0 as we call it. There are also cases for Title 42 Exemptions.

.

This project will allow Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services (DMRS) Staff Attorneys in the Removal Defense Unit to assist more clients in need of legal immigration representation.

After receiving a new referral, we call the client and do the intake to determine if we should take it. When we accept the case, we send the client the contract and grievance procedure along with the G-28 for them to review and sign. After this step, we ask them to write a declaration, which is a long statement explaining exactly what happened to them in their home country. Essentially the who, what, where, when, and why behind their reasons for seeking asylum. Along with the declaration, we ask for evidence, identity documents, if they have any friends/family in the US who would sponsor them, and the legal assistant begins researching country conditions. The first court hearing for an MPP case is a Master Calendar Hearing (MCH), which is scheduled after DHS files the Notice to Appear (NTA). This could be scheduled as far out as 11 months from when the client received the NTA. Before the MCH, the representation will file Pleadings to the allegations and charges on the NTA along with the I-589 Asylum Application. During the MCH, the client will be made aware of their rights and the Individual Hearing (IH) will be scheduled, which is where the decision to grant asylum or not will be decided. Prior to the IH, the attorney and legal assistant will gather evidence to supplement the I-589 in the form of a call up. A call up is a large packet that includes everything we have gathered for the client’s case, i.e. declarations, identity documents, photos, Notice of Hearings, Notice to Appear, country condition articles and reports, etc. The call up is submitted to the courts 15 days prior to the IH.