Rural representation - Marlene Pierce

IJC Fellows work at host organizations across the United States, from California to Maine. For some, those organizations are located in cities where they are able to tap into the local network of immigration advocates working together to support immigrant communities. For others, their host organizations are operating as the sole provider of immigration legal services in their state, and our Fellows are one of the few immigration attorneys available to help immigrants in need.

Marlene Pierce, a 2024 Justice Fellow working at Catholic Charities of Central Colorado, explains how her organization has gotten creative to meet the outsized need in her community. Marlene is a graduate of Sturm College of Law.

To say it has been a tumultuous time to be a newly barred immigration lawyer would be an understatement. With the challenges created by the political climate surrounding asylum and removal, practicing immigration law can feel like being a new captain trying to steer a ship through stormy waters.

I work in Central Colorado, a significantly underserved legal desert with few immigration attorneys, especially those willing to take on asylum cases. Our service area spans across Colorado, covering some of the most rural and isolated parts of the state. Since January 2025, our office has seen an increase in the number of immigrants looking for asylum representation. Our office is small, so we knew we could not take everyone who needed representation, but we felt compelled to do something. In response to this sense of urgency, we decided to host pro bono asylum clinics for our service area.

During an asylum clinic, applicants meet with a lawyer and complete their asylum applications free of charge. For many, it is the only opportunity they have to complete this complicated application with legal counsel. It is one of those rare events where I have the chance to tangibly help someone progress their case in just one day.

At the first clinic I organized, over 20 families registered. Not only was this more than we had anticipated, but the families included an unexpected influx from Ukraine and all over Latin America. We were worried that we would not have the language and volunteer support for everyone, but put out the call and were amazed with the community response. Within 48 hours, we had nearly 30 volunteers.

It’s important to note that working with asylum cases can be an incredibly difficult and emotional process. The application itself requires legal advocates to ask applicants to relive what is very often the worst trauma they have ever experienced and then imagine how bad the situation could be if they were forced to return to their country of origin. Despite this, we saw true friendships develop between applicants and volunteers. The air was hopeful and supportive even as applicants discussed their fear of persecution.

Throughout these three clinics, we have been able to assist over 70 people with their asylum applications. In the process we have been lucky to work with dozens of volunteer community members, lawyers, nonprofits, and churches who have volunteered their time, expertise, resources, and event spaces. In total, our office has now been involved in three clinics since January, and we hope to continue growing these efforts. The waitlist for our next clinic has already begun to grow.

I’ll admit, when I first found out my host organization was a small office in central Colorado with only one other lawyer and three accredited representatives, I was nervous. I wasn’t sure what a smaller firm meant for my career development and networking opportunities. I quickly learned that my fears were misplaced. Our office may be small, but we are mighty. We are willing to put in the hard work to help the immigrants in our community and we have a village of volunteers supporting us. While I know that it will be impossible to meet the vast need for pro bono asylum services in Central Colorado, these clinics give me hope. In the words of Jana Stanfield, “I cannot do all the good that the world needs. But the world needs all the good I can do.”