Page 89 - ACTL Journal Win24

Does it get cold in Chicago? The answers were not happy. No, you cannot walk to Denver. For now, you have to sleep on the sidewalk in front of the police station. Legally, you cannot work. And boy, yes, it gets cold in Chicago.
In addition to the obvious humanitarian crisis, these mi- grants were facing an access to justice crisis. They had no knowledge of United States immigration laws or access to the agencies that administer immigration laws. After sev- eral further visits to the local police station where he tri- aged emergencies, Anderson returned to his law firm, and with the assistance of Spanish speaking pro bono lawyers, organized pop-up legal clinics at churches and at his law firm. At these pop-up legal clinics, volunteer lawyers with laptops and internet access provided migrants with basic immigration assistance with such things as how to register their Chicago address with Homeland Security, how to apply for a work permit, and how to apply for a change of venue of their immigration hearings to Chicago.
Kimball has a long history of leading pro bono efforts. He is the recipient of the ABA’s highest pro bono honor, the ABA Pro Bono Publico Award, as well as numerous other pro bono and philanthropy awards. He was the initial Chair of the College’s Distinguished Pro Bono Fellows Committee.
Mark C. Surprenant
Chair, Distinguished Pro Bono Fellows Committee
WINTER 2024 JOURNAL 88
The College’s Access to Justice and Legal Services Committee and its Distinguished Pro Bono Fellows Committee are exploring further ways in which interested Fellows can get involved in their local communities in assisting migrants from an access to justice standpoint. If you wish to receive more information as to how you can make a significant difference in the lives of others in this area across the United States or Canada, please contact Kimball Anderson at KAnderson@winston.com or Dinyar Marzban at dmarzban@jml.ca, chair of the College’s Access to Justice and Legal Services Committee.
To date, more than 25,000 migrants, mostly from Ven- ezuela, have arrived in Chicago having been bused from Texas. The City of Chicago and volunteer agencies are
working hard to find shelter, food, and medical assis- tance. FACTL Kimball Anderson continues his efforts to organize the Chicago legal community to assist with this access to justice crisis. His clinics have helped an estimated one hundred persons so far, and there is much more work that needs to be done.