Fragomen Fellow and Pro Bono Attorney Win Release of Father from Immigration Detention

The City Bar Justice Center (CBJC) successfully reunited a father with his adolescent son after one and a half years of detention. When the client, Mr. E, was referred to the City Bar Justice Center, Barbara Camacho, the Fragomen Fellow at the CBJC, sprang into action. She and Simone Archer, a pro bono attorney, represented Mr. E.

Mr. E  had a green card and lived and worked lawfully as a craftsman in the U.S. for twenty-five years. He was a dedicated father committed to raising his children. Several years ago, Mr. E was arrested for minor crimes as a result of his struggle with alcoholism. By the time Mr. E was placed in removal proceedings, he had successfully completed an alcohol rehabilitation program and had been sober for years. Facing banishment from the United States to a country where he had no family ties, Mr. E’s community came to his aid and described the good works Mr. E had contributed to his church and neighborhood.

Supported by the Fragomen Fellow, Ms. Archer deftly assisted Mr. E and his family in developing crucial evidence and, following his hearing, Mr. E walked out of the courtroom a free man.

In describing her pro bono experience, Ms. Archer said, “I appreciated Barbara Camacho’s guidance and support through this process. If it wasn’t for her expertise, compassion and support, I wouldn’t have had the courage to take on this case.”

Seven years ago, the global immigration firm of Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP (Fragomen) created the Fragomen Fellowship at the CBJC as an innovative pro bono effort to increase outreach to and representation of immigrants in dire need of high quality free legal services. The Fragomen Fellowship has been a huge success in improving the ability of a wide range of pro bono lawyers to work in the complex and rapidly changing areas of immigration law. The Fragomen Fellowship has become a national model for expanding legal services to low income immigrants by leveraging thousands of hours of pro bono service.