Fragomen Sends Pro Bono Teams to Assist Detained Immigrant Families at Border

For the fourth consecutive year, Fragomen is sending several contingents of attorneys to provide pro bono services to immigrant families at detention centers in Texas.

With detention and asylum issues at the southern border gripping the national immigration debate, and decisions affecting people’s lives and well-being taking place at record volume, volunteer legal services are more important than ever.

This year, Fragomen will send a team of nearly a dozen attorneys to serve a full week at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas—the largest immigrant family detention center in the U.S. holding between 1,500 and 2,200 mothers and their children. Since 2015, Fragomen has sent more than 60 volunteers to Dilley through organized trips and ad hoc initiatives. Leading the effort is the Dilley Pro Bono Project (formerly the CARA Project). Fragomen is also sending volunteers to the Karnes County Residential Center in Karnes City, Texas, where they will serve fathers and their sons, many of whom have been impacted by family separation. RAICES leads the effort on the ground at Karnes.

Volunteers come from Fragomen offices across the United States. Below is this year’s team of volunteers:

• Sarah Anstey (Partner, New York, NY)
• Jill Bloom (Partner, Phoenix, AZ)
• Michael Boshnaick (Partner, Los Angeles, CA)
• Barbara Camacho* (Pro Bono Counsel, New York, NY)
• Kirsten Corneliussen* (Associate, Troy, MI)
• Martine Cuomo (Partner, New York, NY)
• Kristen Lommele Festin (Associate, Chicago, IL)
• Maria Kamille Go (Associate, New York, NY)
• Andrew Greenfield (Partner, Washington, DC)
• Romulo Guevara* (Senior Attorney, Silicon Valley, CA)
• Janet Henner* (Partner, New York, NY)
• Michelle Jacobson (Partner, Chicago, IL)
• Alexandra LaCombe* (Partner, Troy, MI)
• Gregory LaTraverse (Associate, Boston, MA)
• Caitlin Miner-Le Grand* (Fragomen Fellow, New York, NY)
• Michelle Muñoz-Machen (Associate, New York, NY)
• Jenny Nieves (Partner, New York, NY)
• Jannette Sanchez* (Associate, Chicago, IL)
• Elena Scripnicov (Associate, New York, NY)
• Careen Shannon* (Partner, New York, NY)
• Cynthia Shearn* (Partner, Chicago, IL)
• Kyle Sommer* (Associate, New York, NY)
• Hugh Thistlethwaite* (Partner, New York, NY)
• Michael Turansick* (Partner, Chicago, IL)
• Melissa Vasquez (Associate, Los Angeles, CA)

*Has volunteered previously at the border.

Last year, Fragomen lawyers in the U.S. completed more than 13,000 hours of pro bono work.