News

Since the fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban in summer 2021, the Duke Law Immigrant Rights Clinic has provided numerous evacuees with free legal services, including assistance with preparing asylum applications and requests for Temporary Protected Status, permanent residency, and humanitarian parole.

But while student-attorneys in the clinic may begin this critically important work for a client, long processing times for applications means they may not see resolution of the case until after they leave Duke Law.

Last month two clinic alumni Kate Weaver ’23 and Mary Chandler Beam ’22 were thrilled to receive good news about one such Afghan man they had served while enrolled in the clinic: his application for permanent residency based on his Special Immigrant Visa was finally approved.

“Hearing that our client’s application was approved brought tears to my eyes,” said Beam. “It has been a long time coming, and I am thankful that I had the opportunity to be a part of it.” 

Though their client had served U.S. and other coalition troops in Afghanistan, his pathway to status was not easy.

“Working on this case was a crash course in about every hurdle the U.S. immigration system imposes on clients — from family separation, to substantial delays, to cultural barriers, to the many questions we had for which the government had no answer,” Weaver said.

“I was so happy to hear that after all he went through, he now has his green card and can continue his life in the U.S. with more ease.”

With permanent resident status in hand, he is now focusing on bringing his wife and children to the U.S. He is being assisted in that process by Hannah IsraelMarie ’24.

“It is no exaggeration to say that the students’ work in this case radically impacted the life of their client. It also has provided hope for him in his goal to reunite with his spouse and children still in Afghanistan,” said Clinical Professor Shane Ellison, the clinic’s supervising attorney. “I am so pleased for their hard work and the just outcome they helped achieve.”

After graduating from Duke Law, Beam clerked for the Georgia Supreme Court before joining Alston & Bird in New York as an associate in its litigation and trial practice group.

Weaver joined the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project in Portland, Maine, in September as an Immigrant Justice Corps Fellow.

Clinic facilitates family reunion

In related news, last week the Immigrant Rights Clinic celebrated the reunification of a family of eight. It was the culmination of nearly two years of work on behalf of an Afghan man who was separated from his wife and children during the Taliban takeover and had fought to bring them to the U.S.

“Shane and our students have created model materials to assist Afghan evacuees that are used by practitioners across the country,” said Clinical Professor and Immigrant Rights Clinic Director Kate Evans.

“Now they get to reap the benefits of this work and tell their clients and their family members they are finally well on the way to permanent reunification and safety.”