Pro Bono or Reduced Cost Legal Services Relating to Immigration
By William F. O’Brien

Immigrants and other individuals in need of immigration legal services are often unable to afford legal representation. In Oklahoma, a variety of legal services and programs relating to immigration are being provided on a pro bono or reduced-cost basis.

The Catholic Charities Immigration Assistance Program in Oklahoma City was created in 1987 to meet the immigration needs of indigent undocumented people and permanent residents in western Oklahoma. According to its director, Margie Solis, the program is affiliated with the United States Catholic Conference. The program is accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals and is authorized to represent clients before that body as a result. Low-cost legal services are provided by the program to individuals who earn less than 180 percent of the U.S. poverty guidelines as set forth by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program serves immigrants and individuals who are in need of immigration services but who are unable to pay for the services of a private attorney. The program staff provides services and information in both English and Spanish. The primary services provided by the program include assistance with filing applications of persons eligible to remain in the United States on a permanent basis, providing representation for eligible individuals before the immigration court and assistance with filing paperwork for eligible individuals to bring additional family members into the United States. Attorneys interested in obtaining more information about the immigration services offered may contact the program at (405) 523-3001.

In eastern Oklahoma, Catholic Charities of Tulsa has an Immigration Assistance Office that is operated by three individuals licensed to appear before the immigration court. The Tulsa office provides legal services to immigrants, including assisting them with filing petitions to adjust their status to that of permanent residents and filing applications allowing immigrants to bring family members into the country. Services are offered at a reduced cost based upon income. Attorneys interested in obtaining more information about the services offered may call Catholic Charities of Tulsa at (918) 585-8167.

In Oklahoma City, students participating in the Oklahoma City University School of Law Immigration Clinic receive academic credit for providing legal services to immigrants and their families. The clinic is funded by a grant from the Inasmuch Foundation of Oklahoma City that was established by the late Edith Kinney Gaylord. The OCU students who participate in the clinic provide services under the supervision of clinical instructor Christina Misner-Pollard. Services are provided by the clinic without cost to the eligible clients. 

In eastern Oklahoma, the Immigrants Rights Project was established in 2006 by the University of Tulsa College of Law’s Boesche Legal Clinic. Through participation in the project, law students receive academic credit for providing legal services to non-citizens in immigration matters. The project offers legal services to non-citizens who are seeking political asylum in the United States as a result of the fear of persecution in their home nations. Professor Elizabeth McCormick, director of the Immigrants Rights Project, supervises the students who are providing services through the project, which are provided free of charge.

In 2008, TU’s Boesche Legal Clinic also established the Tulsa Immigrant Resource Network (TIRN) through funding provided by the George Kaiser Family Foundation. TIRN has created a network of attorneys in the Tulsa area who provide legal representation to immigrants on a pro bono basis, educate the immigrant community regarding their legal rights and also provide representation to immigrants in the Tulsa area who are involved in removal proceedings. In furtherance of those goals, TIRN sponsors CLE programs designed to educate local attorneys, particularly those attorneys who participate in the pro bono attorney network, about legal issues relating to immigrants. TIRN also works with community organizations to provide training for staff on a variety of immigration issues, including training relating to potential relief for immigrants that have been victims of domestic abuse. Seminars to educate detained immigrants regarding their legal rights are also provided by TIRN at detention facilities in Oklahoma. Attorneys interested in providing legal services through TIRN can request to be added to the pro bono network by calling TIRN at (918) 631-5799. Currently, TIRN serves only the Tulsa area, but Oklahoma City would benefit from establishing a program to provide similar immigration services through an attorney network in the Oklahoma City area.