Photo by Studio Art Smile on Pexels.com On August 13, 2021, this author and Dr. Abusaleh Shariff of the US India Policy Institute published on this blog a discussion of certain anti-Muslim actions taken by the national government of India led by the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which preaches a doctrine of Hindu Nationalism or “Hindutva.” (Shariff and O’Neal, “A Crisis Brews in India, and Not the One You Think”) The crisis we had in mind is having effects closer to home. In the past week, opponents of Hindutva who were scheduled to speak&n ..read more

Demonstrators hold the national flag of India as they attend a protest against a new citizenship law after Friday prayers at Jama Masjid in the old quarters of Delhi, India, Dec. 20, 2019.  Credit: Danish Siddiqui/The World  https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-12-20/rage-against-india-s-citizenship-law-rooted-complex-history-nation-building The suffering of India’s massive population resulting from the coronavirus pandemic has received well-deserved attention and concern from the international community. A humanitarian crisis is brewing there, however, that is less w ..read more

Client Items Basket at The Advocates for Human Rights People who flee their home country seeking security and protection in the United States face a long and unpredictable asylum process, even when they’re able to access free legal services like those offered by The Advocates for Human Rights. Many countries support asylum seekers according to the human rights standards declared by the United Nations; the United States does not. Asylum seekers in the U.S. do not receive temporary housing, a living allowance, or health care. They must wait months before applying for a work permit, have no acces ..read more

Photo credit: Dai Huynh Pull up a chair, to join Loan and Dai Huynh at their kitchen table, where Phở (Pho) defines Vietnam like no other dish. Take in their recipe, spiced by star anise and cinnamon, providing depth and dimension through fresh chicken and broth. Then take out your pen, to share with us your dish, the one that says “home” for you, bridging from your old country to build new community. The Advocates for Human Rights assists people seeking asylum in the United States, from countries around the world. By doing this, as Loan reminds us, “We, you and I, have the opportunity to ..read more

World Refugee Day (June 20) marked six months of the Biden Administration.  In that time, The Advocates and other organizations have been extremely disappointed with the President’s failure to deliver on promises for swift and bold action on immigration and human rights.  While we celebrated the first days of Administration with executive orders ending the Muslim and African Bans, laying-out plans for asylum protections, stopping harmful Trump-era regulations, pausing funding for the Border Wall, and sending comprehensive immigration reform to Congress ..read more

At the 2021 Human Rights Awards Dinner, The Advocates for Human Rights presented Darnella Frazier with a Human Rights Defender Award. Below are the remarks from Jim O’Neal, Chair of The Advocates’ Board of Directors, and Traci Bransford, Darnella’s pro bono counsel and an attorney with Stinson LLP. Jim O’Neal, Board Chair: I am here to present our Human Rights Defender Award to a brave young Minnesotan, Darnella Frazier. The initial public report by the Minneapolis Police Department on George Floyd’s death described a man who appeared to be under the influence, a man resisting arrest, and off ..read more

The Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS) at UC Hastings College of the Law protects human rights by working in the intersections of gender and migration. Karen Musalo, the founding director of GGRS, served as the lead attorney in Matter of Kasinga. In this groundbreaking 1996 legal victory, she won protection for Fauziya Kassindja, a young woman from Togo. Ms. Kassindja had fled to the United States to escape female genital mutilation (FGM) and a forced polygamous marriage to a much old ..read more

At the heart of human rights work lies a strong commitment to justice and an ability collaborate with community partners – two qualities which Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) champions. WAVE has been a long-time partner of The Advocates for Human Rights. A network based in Vienna, Austria, WAVE is dedicated to uplifting and protecting the rights of women and children. Together, the two organizations have worked on global initiatives to protect women’s rights. Stephanie Futter-Orel – Executive Manager of the WAVE Network and expert on the prevention of gender-based violence – and Marcella ..read more

The Stinson Rapid Response Regulation Team consists of lawyers and paralegals from the Washington D.C. office of Stinson LLP. They have given invaluable help to The Advocates for Human Rights in protecting the rights of immigrants and asylum seekers. The team is headed by Harvey Reiter and Dennis Lane, two energetic, experienced, and highly motivated administrative law attorneys. Through Harvey’s position as chair of the working group on immigration for the ne ..read more

Photography by Bill Cameron.  Scott Smith has over 40 years of experience as a trial lawyer. In 2016, Scott joined The Advocates as a volunteer attorney and began representing clients by doing what he knows best: telling their stories. Over the years, Scott has given a voice to immigration detainees and labor trafficking victims by telling their stories and helping them navigate the complex U.S. immigration system. He works alongside interpreters,&nbs ..read more