Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network

Added in 2010, the Victims of Violence program enabled GAIN to become a powerful force for survivors in Georgia especially women and girls, who are disproportionately affected by certain types of violent crimes. The Victims of Violence program supports the needs of immigrants who have been victims of crime in the U.S., including survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and other crimes. Now a flagship program for GAIN, Victims of Violence has sustained a remarkable success rate of over 95% in case decisions for more than ten years of operation. By providing immigrant victims access to otherwise unobtainable legal representation, GAIN and our volunteer attorneys help our clients to rebuild the foundation of their lives empowering them to leave abusive/exploitative situations, reunite with loved ones, and access the tools they need for ongoing safety and stability. In 2022, GAIN served 245 Victims of Violence cases through direct representation and pro bono placement.

Since August 2021, Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network (GAIN) has helped lead the way in responding to the crisis in Afghanistan through Project Ally, an emergency response project serving over 1,000 Afghan nationals.As 2022 began, our team was finalizing the humanitarian parole filings we prepared for hundreds of Afghans after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. However, as the crisis evolved, we found that we needed to build a new mechanism to serve our community. In 2022, GAIN partnered with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) Atlanta to host monthly legal clinics for Afghan nationals who were brought to Georgia through Operation Allies Welcomes humanitarian parole initiative. These clinics provided pro se assistance with asylum applications to Afghans on one Saturday each month, helping them begin their asylum process by mapping out their declaration an important first step in the process. With our Asylum teams expert guidance, GAIN created a replicable model which includes extensive training and project management resources for our partners, and ensures that our clinics are informed by the best practices in immigration law practice. In 2022, Project Ally benefited 484 individuals through legal service and support.

The Asylum program was GAINs first project, started in 2005 in response to low representation rates in Georgias immigration courts, which are among the toughest in the nation. Today, our staff works tirelessly to provide legal representation for immigrants fleeing harm and persecution abroad, such as political imprisonment, gender-based violence, and torture. Our clients, who have been forced to flee their home countries, now face an exceptionally complex asylum system in the U.S. Through collaboration on their case, GAIN helps our clients understand asylum law and empowers them to build a winning case for this vital form of protection. In addition to their ongoing casework, GAINs Asylum team helps build capacity in our community to address the effects of global crises. For example, they were instrumental in creating a clearinghouse of training materials for Project Ally, our Afghan relief effort, and have led the way across the state by providing technical assistance on asylum cases to our community partners. In 2022, GAIN served 158 Asylum cases through direct representation and pro bono placement.