Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice

Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice provides pro bono legal services to asylum-seeking families that have been separated, detained in family detention centers, and/or subjected to expedited removal through the dedicated docket. We take on tough and complex defensive asylum cases, representing primarily women, children, and lgbtq+ people whose strength and resilience have allowed them to survive inconceivable violence in pursuit of safety in the united states. During fy 2024, Mabel Center served 700 individuals. Mabel Center attorneys' legal strategy and approach has led to remarkable success in winning asylum for their clients. Our attorneys have secured asylum for twelve clients they have represented in court in fy 2024.in addition to providing full legal representation to clients seeking asylum, Mabel Center handles pro se asylum applications, employment authorization documents, special Immigrant juveniles, temporary protected status applications, green cards, and violence against women act cases. Mabel Center attorneys and staff have volunteered at family detention centers, worked alongside organizations at the border, and annually work at the border. Due to the relationships built and the cultural competency demonstrated, Mabel Center has become the referral organization in the greater boston region for defensive asylum-related legal services. Collaboration with other organizations is integral to our success as it allows us to identify and connect with potential clients and stay up to date on changes that can impact immigration. Mabel Center's client referrals come from: past clients, local organizations, and existing partnerships we have with charities operating in Texas family detention centers.mabel Center clients predominantly reside in chelsea, east boston, dorchester, lynn, and waltham and have relocated to the region from central america and haiti. We focus our work on providing services to women and children from central america as they have been disproportionately impacted by constant procedural changes to recent arriving migrants. In response to needs of migrants in Massachusetts, an increased emphasis has been placed on haitian migrants in emergency shelters. All clients must meet income eligibility requirements (125% of hhs poverty guidelines) and Mabel Center provides all services free of cost to our clients. Nearly all our clients are seeking asylum due to gender-based or domestic violence that they were subjected to in their home country.