/Law firms across US form coalition to help workers arrested in ICE poultry raids in Mississippi

Law firms across US form coalition to help workers arrested in ICE poultry raids in Mississippi

Lawyers from across the country have gathered resources to offer large-scale pro bono representation to immigrants held in Mississippi’s early August poultry raids. According to the group’s Thursday news release, close to 100 of the detainees who were arrested during the raids requested pro bono representation for bond applications or hearings. “The people we are trying to help were taken from their families and are now in isolated detention centres. Traci Feit love, executive director of Lawyers for Good Government Foundation, stated that they are in desperate need of legal counsel. According to the release, it is estimated that hundreds of workers are still in detention. Project Corazon is a collaboration of nearly 50 law firms and mobilizes thousands of lawyers. This coalition includes prominent law firms like Kirkland & Ellis and Kilpatrick Townsend. The largest network of non-profit immigration programs in the country, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., will be working closely with the lawyers to provide mentoring and supervision. Michelle Mendez (director of CLINIC’s Defending Vulnerable Peoples program) said that immigration is one of the most complex areas of U.S. legal. CLINIC is pleased to see lawyers volunteer their time. We are available to mentor and train them to ensure that pro bono partners can navigate the law’s complexities.” Jacqueline Haberfeld (New York Pro Bono Counsel), Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Mississippi Today continues to report on the events surrounding the raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at poultry plants in August. For more coverage, click here