Nearly four years ago, we first heard from a family in Annandale, originally from Guatemala, whose father had been detained by surprise by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at what he thought would be a routine check-in. Fortunately, his family had previously met Arnoldo Borja, an LAJC community organizer, and he arranged an emergency consult with our attorneys who were able to take on the case.
It’s been a long journey; ICE even unlawfully deported the father, and we filed a federal lawsuit forcing the agency to bring him back to the U.S.! But now—after two federal district court lawsuits, a Fourth Circuit appeal, and countless immigration court hearings—the family is finally safe in the knowledge that they can stay in the United States permanently.
Their daughter is now in fifth grade and plays the violin in her elementary school orchestra, and their son is now a senior in high school. We are now planning to help them apply for a family-of-asylees visa for their other daughter, who remains in Guatemala.
Adan and his family celebrate with LAJC attorneys Becky Wolozin and Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg
This story is just one of many ways we have been able to help our communities through individual legal representation. In 2022 alone, we provided legal services to 1,530 families in Virginia, ultimately benefiting 4,155 individuals. These individual cases resulted in $4,311,924 in monetary benefits for our clients, including dollars awarded, public benefits secured or protected, debt discharged, subsidies protected, and services secured.
We primarily represent people in the greater Charlottesville, Richmond, Petersburg, and Northern Virginia areas, but we also take clients statewide for certain types of cases. Our attorneys provide support on a wide variety of issues, from special education to consumer debt to landlord/tenant disputes and more. You can see more information on what cases we take* and how to get in touch with us here:
* Please note that what we can help with depends on where you live, income eligibility, details of the situation, and current staff bandwidth to take on new cases.
