Asylum Clinic Kansas City

Afghan Legal Services Project - After the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, approximately76,000 Afghans were evacuated and brought to the United States. Primarily, these individuals were given parole status that allowed them to remain in the United States only temporarily. In May 2022, the Missouri Office of Refugee Administration designated ACKC to serve as legal services coordinator for the resettlement agencies serving Afghan evacuees in western Missouri, which resettled about 850 Afghan evacuees who needed legal help filing for Asylum or Special Immigrant Visas. ACKC has assisted over 65 families to apply to remain safely in the United States and continues to assist them in their journey to citizenship.

Other Immigration Legal Services - ACKCs primary focus area are its work with unaccompanied minors as well as Afghan clients resettled in Missouri. ACKC recognizes, however, the immense need for pro bono legal support with many other local populations, including asylum seekers from places like Venezuela, Mexico, Honduras, and Nicaragua. There are also many migrants in Kansas City who qualify for Temporary Protected Status from places like Haiti and Burma. Currently, ACKC takes in as many of these cases as capacity allows and will typically at least provide initial consultations and referrals for those ACKC does not have capacity to represent. ACKC is working to expand our reach to serve more community-based cases by seeking community-based funding for more direct representation to do these sorts of cases, as well as increase the number of humanitarian cases it does such as filing visas for victims of a crime, or survivors of human trafficking. ACKC is actively developing a pro bono placement project to expand its impact as well. Through the Afghan Legal Services Project, ACKC set the foundation for training non-immigration specialists in immigration law to enable them to take on cases with mentorship. ACKC is actively starting to place defensive asylum cases with these attorneys. That work includes development of a resource site online, as well as offering CLEs and other training directly to attorneys willing to help with the vast need. Additionally, ACKC works with community groups serving migrants and refugees in the Kansas City area who seek to bring accurate and timely legal information to the people they serve. The professionals at ACKC are often asked to do presentations or workshops to increase awareness of immigration-related issues and advocacy. ACKC also hopes to expand its influence by joining with other legal service providers, lawyers, and community advocates to work to reform the harsh, puni

Unaccompanied Child Program - As part of our Unaccompanied Childrens Program, ACKC provides know-your- rights presentations and individual legal screenings to immigrant children detained in federal facilities near Kansas City. Unaccompanied children are children who have entered the U.S. without a parent or guardian to care for them. These children are uniquely vulnerable and have special protections under the law. Most are placed in a group home or facility while awaiting reunification with a sponsor. ACKC typically represents the children that do not have sponsors or who have waited a long time for a sponsor in seeking lawful status and defending themselves against deportation, as well as advocating for them on a variety of issues for the duration of their stay. ACKC also provides free legal services to children released to sponsors in the Kansas City area. This includes representation in immigration court, legal filings with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, and other wrap-around services unique to each child. Many of the children qualify for a visa that qualifies them for work authorization and is a pathway to a green card, called Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Many are also asylum seekers fleeing persecution in their home countries. Unaccompanied minors are often targets for labor or sex traffickers if they remain present without status, and the work ACKC does to stabilize their status and get them a work card truly changes lives and protects this unique group of migrants. ACKC strongly believes that no child should have to face immigration court without an attorney.