ProBAR celebrates 20 years of service

Every day, attorneys at the Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project in Harlingen take on some of the most frustrating and troubling aspects of the U.S. court system as they struggle to provide representation for the thousands of detained immigrants seeking to stay in this country.

But on Thursday, ProBAR’s clients, staff, and volunteers gathered not to dwell on the challenges they face, but to celebrate their successes on the occasion of the organization’s 20th anniversary.

ProBAR was created in 1989 after a delegation from the American Bar Association visited the Rio Grande Valley during a mass migration of refugees from then war-torn El Salvador.

Valley churches, homes, and hotels opened their doors to help the refugees. Mary Maldonado, then a San Benito resident, said she doesn’t remember how many people she helped during 1989, only that she didn’t hesitate to lend a hand.

"One day, someone came by and said they were really hungry so I made them something to eat," Maldonado said. "Then 10 or 12 came a few days later because they told them the lady in the yellow house would feed them. I made them whatever I had, and made sure I had plenty (of food). Whoever came to my door was welcome."

But though the community reached out to help the refugees, there was little legal assistance available. The ABA delegation set up an informal pro bono legal service to help the refugees, so they might stand a better chance at winning political asylum in the U.S. Within months, members of the ABA delegation had located funding to start ProBAR and provide representation and hope for many of those who had come to the Valley.

"Immigration and Naturalization Services were processing asylum-seekers in one day," said Carol Wolchok, a member of the delegation who helped to establish ProBAR. "There were thousands of asylum seekers, it was a very unusual situation. We starting rotating lawyers through here and we quickly found we were winning cases."

Even after the wave of migrants had subsided, it was clear that there was a continued need for pro bono immigration attorneys in the area. Detained immigrants are not entitled to a government-appointed attorney. Though they can seek private representation, many obstacles stand in their way – from language to money to access.

Today, ProBAR continues to fill this need. ProBAR is funded by the ABA, the State Bar of Texas and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. On Thursday, members of each of these organizations expressed their commitment to continuing to support ProBAR. These organizations say that supporting ProBAR is not a political statement. Rather, it’s a response to the lack of protections for non-citizens in the U.S.

"This is a natural cause, a natural mission for the ABA," said Carlina Tapia-Ruano, the ABA Commissioner for the Commission on Immigration. "The right to an attorney is a meaningless right if we don’t provide a mechanism to make it possible. It’s not about the individual. It’s that we are a country that values these protections."

Meredith Linsky, the director of ProBAR, was at the center of many of the night’s speeches. Linsky, who has been with ProBAR nearly since its inception, was described by many as synonymous with ProBAR itself.

Under the stars at the Los Ebanos Preserve on Thursday, Linsky humbly accepted bouquets of flowers accompanied by half a dozen speeches of gratitude, and deflected that thanks back to her fellow attorneys and clients.

Linsky says that even though her attorneys go above and beyond their job descriptions to provide legal assistance for thousands of detained immigrants, the area’s need always exceeds the resources available.

"There are many deserving people every day who don’t get council," Linsky said.

Clients who Linsky and her staff had helped over the years flew into town for the celebration, including several former detainees from Somalia who had been freed with the help of ProBAR.

Mariam Sadiq, who is now a nursing student in Ohio, came from Somalia several years ago and found herself in a detention center with little hope of getting out.

"The people from ProBAR told me, ‘Don’t worry, don’t be afraid. We’ll get you out of here,’" Sadiq said in a speech to those gathered. "They laughed with me and they cried with me. I feel family when I am here, with them."

Mohamed Mohamed, also of Somalia, left his country when he was 11 years old and fled to Kenya. After spending several years as a refugee in Kenya, he flew to Chile and made his way through Latin America to the Rio Grande, where he crossed into the United States.

Mohamed served as a translator for several other Somalis while he was in immigration court. ProBAR eventually helped him to win his freedom and he is now an accounting major at the Metropolitan State College of Denver.

"Ever since I met ProBAR, it has been a part of me as an American," Mohamed said.