Our clients often come to us with situations that are as complex as their lives. Khaled was brought to the US from Yemen by his parents in the ’70s. His parents received asylum as refugees but didn’t secure permanent residency for their son. Now in his late 40’s Khaled has a final deportation order that would return him to a …
$336,442 in Legal Services
We delivered an amazing $336,442 worth of legal services to clients in 2018! This includes the work of our dedicated volunteers across three legal clinics, the clients we represent in immigration courts around the country and the other legal work we undertake at a fraction of what traditional legal firms ask. This money represents families reunited or kept whole, the …
3076 Hours in 2018
Last year the Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center delivered more than three thousand hours of legal services to our clients. Much of it given by volunteer attorneys, translators and researchers. A lot of this time was at our clinics, which means it was completely free to clients. Some was spent in court where we charge a fraction of what …
What’s Next for SWIRC
In the last post, we looked at SWIRC’s past, where we’ve been and the immense need for quality free and low-cost legal services in Detroit. We are the only one doing this who serves everyone. Other providers have an area of law that they specialize in, or a particular demographic that they serve. Our clients are people who hear “no” …
We’ve Come a Long Way
The Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center was founded in response to an urgent need in our community. When the then-currently largest provider of non-profit legal help shut down, they left few options in their place. Because of restrictions on federal funding, undocumented people had nowhere to turn for help. We wanted to offer an answer to that question of …
Legal Clinics Holiday Schedule
The Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center is taking a couple of days off for the Christmas holiday. Tuesday, December 25 – Pontiac Clinic Closed Wednesday, December 26 – Southwest Clinic Closed Thursday, December 27 – Eastside Clinic Closed Tuesday, January 1 – Pontiac Clinic Closed Wednesday, January 2 – Southwest Clinic Open Thursday, January 3 – Eastside Clinic Open …
We show up for our clients
Photo by Robert Bye via Unsplash.com Not everything happens in the clinics. We represent many clients in Detroit area courts facing a variety of issues. This week Kevin, our principal attorney, was in court in Lincoln Park to stop the eviction of a single mother of three. Often the presence of an attorney makes all the difference in presenting …
Our Legal Clinics are Open to All
This week, like every week, we saw a wide variety of people at our legal aid clinics. We are unique among legal service providers in the Detroit area in that we welcome all at our clinics. Many free legal clinics have a couple areas of law that they will help out with. Some have criteria that clients need to meet …
Congratulations to SWIRC attorney Genevieve Wilson!
This is Genevieve on Monday with her family after being sworn in as a member of the State Bar of Michigan by the Hon. Robert Colombo, chief judge of the Third Judicial Circuit Court in Detroit, Michigan. Genevieve has been a long time volunteer at our Southwest Detroit clinic and recently joined us on staff as the supervisor of our …
Client Stories – Claudia
“I have court on the 14th. My dog bit a neighbor. I’m afraid to go because these are not good people. I have four dogs, this one is Niño, he’s a part of our family. He’s very beautiful, very gentle with my grandchildren. The dog knows this neighbor he always bangs on the fence with a stick to get Niño …
