Focus on Partners

Detained Torture Survivor Legal Support Network: LIRS Forms Partnerships to Serve Torture Survivors
By Matt Wilch, LIRS Director for Asylum and Immigration Concerns

LIRS has received funding from the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement to coordinate a nationwide network of legal service hubs for the most vulnerable torture survivors—those detained by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Michelle Brané will serve as the national coordinator.

The goals of the Detained Torture Survivor Legal Support Network are to reach torture survivors lost and isolated in the detention system, to ensure that survivors receive legal representation to fight for release and status, to ensure that they get as much additional help as possible given the limitations imposed by the system, and to advocate for systemic improvements. The network will develop hub sites in locations with a high concentration of torture survivors and where federal money can be leveraged by building on the existing nonprofit service infrastructure. The five sites will be in New York; Miami; York, Pa.; New Orleans; and Florence, Ariz.

Several partners will be involved in this effort. Four of the hub sites include Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) projects. Other partners at the various sites include the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, Catholic Charities, the Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center, the American Friends Service Committee and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. We will also work closely with Physicians for Human Rights and Doctors of the World to identify and train pro bono health care professionals to assist with case assessments and referrals, and with American Immigration Lawyers Association to identify and train pro bono attorneys.

The hubs will resemble war-zone field hospitals, making a life-or-death difference by establishing a refuge of professional care in a hostile environment. Services are limited by the environment to emergency, life-saving care. The network aims to take away the environmental threat and overcome the service limitations by removing the survivor as soon as possible from the traumatic environment and into one with the vital services needed not merely to survive but to build a stable and fruitful life.

Of the 200,000 immigrants detained annually by the INS, an estimated 12,000 may be survivors of torture. This includes an estimated 10,000 detained asylum seekers and 2,000 detained Southeast Asian refugees who have final orders of deportation but are barred from returning by their home countries. The INS uses prisons to house these survivors. It puts 40 percent in its own facilities and 60 percent in 800 jails nationwide. Detained survivors have no legal status, no access to outside psychological services and limited access to legal assistance. They often suffer further trauma from being detained and may face further torture and death if deported.

Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota: Special Programs Smooth Resettlement Path
By Donna Magnuson, LIRS Regional Consultant for Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota

Refugees arrive in the United States at all ages and stages of life, each with unique needs. For example, the needs of parents with young children are different from the needs of the elderly. Single young adults have different informational needs than intact families. Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota (LSS/SD) has sought to recognize and meet those varying needs through the development of several special programs.

This year, with the arrival of young men from Kakuma refugee camp, the need to provide specific informational services to young adults became clear. To help facilitate a more successful resettlement experience, LSS/SD developed a specially focused orientation class. Within their first month in South Dakota, all refugee adults attend a general orientation class that covers topics such as obtaining health care, driver's license regulations, leasing apartments, and getting and keeping jobs. LSS/SD recognized that young adults needed more specific information relevant to their needs. Therefore, a 30-hour young adult orientation class was developed for use in addition to the general orientation. The class included topics such as setting short-term and long-term goals, legal issues specific to young people such as age of consent and curfew laws, culturally appropriate interactions between young men and women, avoiding negative peer pressure, bicycle safety, and buying a car and car insurance. A police officer visited each class to discuss law enforcement issues and to answer questions. A nurse spoke about sexual health. There were many opportunities to role-play common situations, to discuss culturally appropriate behaviors and to ask questions. The young men greatly appreciated and benefited from this training.

Another project that LSS/SD is currently developing to meet the needs of young people is a homework helper program. Starting on Saturday mornings in March, this project is intended to meet the needs of high school and middle school students who need assistance with schoolwork. Community volunteers, members from local Explorer troops and church youth groups will be trained to provide peer tutoring. A van will be available to provide transportation. Refugee students will bring their schoolwork, and peer tutors will be matched with refugee students to provide homework assistance. In addition, it is hoped that this project will improve cross-cultural communication and understanding among young people in the community.

With the help of senior volunteers, LSS/SD has developed other programs to meet specific needs. A four-week class meets the needs of refugees who have never driven before. Senior volunteer instructors go over the South Dakota driver's manual and discuss the rules of the road. Interpreters are made available as needed to assist with the instruction. Upon completion, refugees are well prepared to take the written examination for the driving permit.

A new project of the senior volunteer group will be cooking classes. These classes will meet once per month and will assist refugees who are unfamiliar with American foods and food preparation. The first session, "Hamburger Hot Dish," took place February 19.

Through all of these programs, LSS/SD tries to anticipate and respond to the particular needs of specific young adult refugees. By providing appropriate opportunities for learning and discussion, it is our hope that refugees will be able to more quickly adjust to their new environment.

Return to top | Return to LIRS homepage