Yureli and her daughters won asylum on March 13, 2017, with pro-bono legal assistance from HIAS. “I felt free. I had happiness in my heart, and relief,” Yureli said.

For Emmanuel, escaping Cameroon was only the first step toward freedom—seeking the protection as an asylum seeker in the United States presents its own set of challenges. “Arriving here, it is like arriving between fire and a cliff: the threat in our home country, and the difficult asylum process in the U.S.”

Since joining the HIAS pro-bono legal program last fall, volunteer attorney Alan Lipsitz has been putting his skills to work for asylum seekers in both Washington, D.C. and New York. HIAS attorneys introduced Lipsitz to the intricacies of asylum law, matched him with clients in need of legal assistance and provided guidance and oversight throughout the case.

“Asylum is an amazing thing,” Marty Rosenbluth said. His smile was audible, even over the phone, as he described his most recent win. “When you’re in the courtroom, and that client gets good news...that's the best feeling in the world. Money can’t buy that.”

Nerea, Oliver, and Eduardo have experienced more violence than any child should. In Honduras, they were stalked by MS13, a notorious street gang, and moved into their aunt and uncle’s home in a neighboring city in an effort to escape. But that was just the start.

Recognizing the growing demand for assistance navigating the tedious legal process tied to securing asylum status in the U.S., HIAS recently launched a pro bono training program for attorneys to volunteer their services.