Discussions about the nation's policy toward immigrants take shape against an ever-shifting backdrop of fears, hopes, alienation, and humanitarian impulses, influenced by our history as well as current economic conditions. Amidst all these powerful forces, it is the attorney's job to help the immigrant be seen as an individual person with rights under the law rather than as the embodiment of a political issue. Morrison & Foerster lawyers take on this challenge with special care, whether representing workers targeted for deportation or refugees hoping to begin a new life in the United States. To learn more about our work protecting immigrants and refugees, click
here.
Aiding Refugees from Iraq
The Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) was formed by law students to assist Iraqis who have left their country because they are at risk of violent retribution for having worked with foreign media or U.S. forces, usually as translators. IRAP helps these refugees and their families gain entrance to the United States under Special Immigrant Visas and similar provisions. Attorneys in our California offices are supervising law students from Stanford and Berkeley as they try to help these clients reach a richly deserved refuge in the United States.
Representing Refugees Seeking Asylum
Every year, thousands of men, women and children around the globe ask foreign governments for safe haven from persecution and abuse in their home countries. Lawyers can be lifesavers for these refugees, amassing evidence to support their accounts of maltreatment and to substantiate their fears about what will happen if they are deported. From young women escaping genital mutilation to activists in opposition parties to people facing imprisonment for being gay, MoFo attorneys assist dozens of people each year in their quest for safety and a new life.