After Eight-Year Effort, Paul, Weiss Secures Asylum for Pro Bono Client

Following an eight-year pro bono effort by Paul, Weiss, our client, a man from the Dominican Republic, was granted asylum after his merits hearing in Immigration Court in New York City.

Our client arrived in the U.S. after fleeing violence at the hands of members of the national police force due to his sexual orientation. There were several significant challenges to a successful asylum petition, including authenticating original records; a substantial backlog in the immigration courts; and repeated hearing adjournments, the last one on the day before the scheduled merits hearing. Our client remained extraordinarily resilient in the face of years-long delays, and worked with the Paul, Weiss team over nearly a decade—including four rescheduled hearings—to diligently prepare for his case, which required probing deeply into his history of trauma.

At the final hearing, the immigration judge granted asylum based on our client’s past persecution. In doing so, he acknowledged the thoroughness of the filings from the Paul, Weiss team. Our client is profoundly grateful to the team and firm for the sustained effort to advance his case throughout the years, and is excited to close this uncertain and difficult chapter of his life.

A number of associates and paralegals provided critical support to our client over the years. The merits hearing included litigation associates Maria Eliot and Jacob Humerick; tax associate Valentine Lysikatos Carey; and corporate associate Abigail Sia. The team was advised by pro bono attorney Pradine Saint-Fort and supervised by litigation partner Liza Velazquez.