Safe Passage Project’s Managing Attorney in Training and Partnerships, Alexandra Rizio, sat down with Documented to discuss some of the challenges she has been facing in recruiting and placing cases with pro bono attorneys :

“It was definitely worrisome, and I think it made me realize that the pandemic was impacting just everything, including young immigrants’ ability to access quality legal services,” said Rizio, who is the managing attorney at Safe Passage Project, a nonprofit organization that helps provide pro bono legal help to refugee and immigrant children in the New York City area. “We’ve definitely seen a drop off in the number of attorneys who are able to take on cases right now.”

The City’s nonprofits that assist unaccompanied minors in finding legal representation are now finding it harder to secure pro bono help during a time when it is sorely needed. Because of this, advocates say, it is possible that more unaccompanied minors will have to confront the complex immigration system alone without an attorney—which can diminish the likelihood of them staying in the United States.

Read the full article here.