Liman Fellow Joanne Lee ’18: Obstacles and “Strong, Resilient, and Adaptive” Clients

As Liman Fellow from 2018 to 2020 at Gulfcoast Legal Services, Joanne Lee ’18 assisted undocumented immigrants who have experienced domestic violence. Her work included direct legal services and community outreach in Tampa Bay, Florida. Lee is currently a supervising attorney at Gulfcoast, building upon the work she started during her Liman Fellowship. She wrote this essay, “Onward,” for The Liman Center Reports in the summer of 2020.


The work continues, even despite a pandemic. Indeed, the work of assisting undocumented domestic violence survivors has taken on special significance in light of COVID-19. Many of my clients and potential clients lost their jobs — often under-the-table arrangements in the service industry — or saw their hours greatly reduced during this time. Many were forced to shelter at home with their abusive spouses, whose violence escalated in the face of uncertain futures and financial strain. The need for free legal services, as well as community outreach to spread the word to isolated clients, cannot be understated.

Joanne Lee

The need is made even more urgent by the rapid, detrimental changes in immigration policy. The government — despite the pandemic, and sometimes even using it as a convenient excuse — continues to hatch fresh challenges for immigrants. For example, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency responsible for processing various immigration applications, has slowed down many of its operations due to the virus, a self-created funding crisis, and the threat of a looming furlough. It has scaled back the printing of approved green cards and work permit cards, effectively turning documented immigrants into undocumented ones.

Processing times have slowed down drastically. Whereas in the past, I could expect to hear within a month whether an application had been received, I now routinely experience delays of three months to hear just whether or not the application has arrived safely. This is not even touching the surface of the ludicrously long processing times for certain applications — for U-visas, new applicants can now expect a wait upwards of five to 10 years before receiving any kind of status. USCIS has also steadily ratcheted up the standard for adjudication fee waiver requests, without any kind of transparency or consistency, so that low-income immigrants now have to choose between foregoing applying for immigration relief or making numerous sacrifices to come up with the filing fee, which can amount to thousands of dollars. These are only a few examples of the constant bad news that have been raining down on immigrants and their advocates almost daily.

“Ms. Laura can now... live without the fear of impending deportation... She cried with joy at the news.”—Joanne Lee ’18

So my work continues, in spite of, and fueled by, the recent obstacles. Most of my direct legal services work continues unhampered, over-the-phone client meetings taking the place of in-person ones. It is not ideal, asking my clients to pour their hearts out to me, sight unseen, so that we may create the most “compelling” narratives for their applications, highlighting the worst parts of their lives to fit the legal requirements. I try to practice trauma-informed advocacy as much as I can, taking more time to explain in order to avoid confusion, and listening harder to make sure I do not miss cues that would be easier to spot in person. Thankfully, my clients are strong, resilient, and adaptive. We have been able to complete and submit a steady stream of applications during this time.

The second prong of my project, community outreach, has required more creative thinking in times of social distancing. Gulfcoast Legal Services has distributed almost 10,000 postcards and flyers about our free legal services via food distribution sites and postal mail. I am also keeping in close contact with partnering organizations, including local domestic violence shelters and a Hispanic community center, to make sure that they are aware that our services continue to be available. I have also compiled a list of local resources for immigrants — ranging from affordable mental health services and free English classes — that will be shared with our clients and partnering organizations.

Despite all its challenges, 2020 has not been without good news for my clients. In this second year of my fellowship, the fruits of my clients’ courage have begun to show in tangible forms. Due to the long processing times, I am just now beginning to receive decisions for some of the cases I filed at the beginning of my fellowship nearly two years ago. Some of my first cases will not be processed for another decade, but some forms of immigration relief are processed faster than others. Thankfully, the decisions I have received have all been positive.

One client, whom I will call Ms. Laura, provides an example. She had suffered severe domestic violence at the hands of her husband for over a decade. He is a United States citizen, but never filed the appropriate paperwork for her to receive legal immigration status. Instead, he used her lack of status to intimidate and control her. Eventually, due to her lack of status, Ms. Laura was detained and placed in removal proceedings, the result of which could be deportation. She wanted to escape from her husband’s abuse, but she was worried about her lack of status. I connected with her through one of my local partnering organizations and I helped her file for an immigration relief called VAWA Self-Petition.

After the filing, Ms. Laura felt empowered to leave her husband, seek out a safe place for herself, and find her own path forward. A few months after the filing, she was approved for a work permit, allowing her to seek legal employment and take steps toward financial stability. A year and a half later, Ms. Laura’s VAWA Self-Petition was finally approved. With the approval, Ms. Laura can now move to terminate the removal proceeding against her, live without the fear of impending deportation, and move forward with the process of receiving permanent residence (a Green Card) in the United States. She cried with joy at the news.

I agree with Audre Lorde’s famous proclamation that the master’s tools can never dismantle the master’s house. Filing immigration applications will not dismantle the oppressive immigration system. But it is my conviction that these tools can still be used to shelter the most vulnerable and raise them up so that they too can take on the fight. So, the work will continue and continue and continue until there is no more need. Onward.