Audio (NATIONAL)
Debbie Elliott
National Public Radio (NPR)
August 12, 2019
LISTEN TO THE STORY HERE
Tags: ICE Raids
Organizations mentioned/involved: Mississippi Center for Justice (MCJ)
DETAILS
Evelyn says it took three days to find out that her father is being held at a detention center in Natchez, Miss. They’re not sure what’s next, so they’ve come to the church to seek answers. Lawyers are staffing these makeshift legal clinics in several of the towns hit by the ICE raids. Attorney Amelia McGowan with the Mississippi Center for Justice says there are few pro bono immigration lawyers practicing in Mississippi, but now, several hundred attorneys from around the country have signed up to help.
AMELIA MCGOWAN: Many of these cases are going to be very long. They might take years to finish. And so we want to make sure that we have a sustainable network in place to really support people through the entire process.
ELLIOTT: As lawyers scramble to help people navigate the immigration system, back at St. Anne’s Church, Father Medina is working to set up humanitarian aid for the long term.