Immigration

The Immigration Team's mission is to secure immigration relief for individuals eligible for lawful status or U.S. citizenship, with the aim of improving their economic stability, physical safety, and overall well-being. The team represents low-income residents of TRLA’s service area, prioritizing survivors of abuse and violent crime, legal permanent residents facing deportation, and individuals born abroad with lawful claims to U.S. citizenship. 

Services & Activities 

  • Represent individuals in their applications for immigration relief before the U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS); 

  • Provide legal representation for eligible clients in removal proceedings before the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), and federal courts; 

  • Provide legal education and outreach to vulnerable communities and TRLA partner agencies; 

  • Work with other TRLA practice teams to seek civil legal remedies for non-citizens under state and federal constitutional, tort, and administrative law: 

  • Collaborate with other TRLA teams and projects, notably the Domestic Violence & Family Law Team, the Public Defender Program, and Legal Aid for Survivors of Sexual Assault (LASSA), to provide holistic services to non-immigrant TRLA clients. 

Stacie Jonas, Group Coordinator

Human Trafficking

TRLA's Human Trafficking Team provides comprehensive legal services to domestic and foreign-national survivors of both labor and sex trafficking. Human trafficking is the exploitation of human beings through force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of commercial sex or forced labor. A person under the age of 18 who is induced into performing a commercial sex act is considered a victim of human trafficking, even if there is no force, fraud, or coercion involved. This team’s services include, but are not limited to: 

  • Representation on applications for immigration relief; 

  • Seeking monetary damages for civil rights, wage, and tort claims; 

  • Assistance with protective orders; 

  • Family law representation; 

  • Victim-witness representation and advocacy; 

  • Connecting survivors with service providers. 

Alison Lisi, Team Manager

Asylum Defense Project

The Asylum Defense Project of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid zealously advocates for the rights of detained asylum seekers. Forced to flee their homes and seeking safety at our door, asylum seekers need robust legal services to have a hope of better days. For most, the asylum system is a daunting maze of forms, rules, and government interrogations.

Allison Herre, Team Manager