August 2008

It has been a busy summer over at PRLDEF. Our attorneys have been hard at work on a number of important cases, including Milanes v. Chertoff, which seeks to ensure that eligible citizens are naturalized in time to vote in November.

Meanwhile, our education division has prepared a number of programs for prospective law students and future attorneys. Last week, we hosted over two dozen students at our fourth annual LAWbound Summer Academy.

Read on for more information on these highlights from our recent work.

In This Issue

• PRLDEF Lawsuit Lowers Wait Times for Citizenship
• LAWbound Scholars Explore the Legal Field in Manhattan

PRLDEF Lawsuit Lowers Wait Times for Citizenship

PRLDEF's recent lawsuit, Milanes v. Chertoff, has forced the government to add more resources to its Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) division in order to naturalize many of the thousands of legal permanent residents caught up in a large backlog.

The backlog has delayed many immigrants from getting the rights, privileges and advantages that all United States citizens enjoy, including the most fundamental of American rights: the right to vote.

Since PRLDEF brought its suit last March, the government has added more resources to try to combat the backlog, and claims it will now set records for the amount of people naturalized.

"Now thousands of people who would not have been able to vote will get that chance," said Cesar Perales, President and General Counsel. "But thousands of individuals will not be processed in time for the elections. We will continue to work to ensure that these individuals are granted citizenship within a reasonable amount of time."

On Thursday, August 7, U. S. District Court Judge Lawrence M. McKenna denied PRLDEF's request for a preliminary injunction in Milanes v. Chertoff, which sought to compel USCIS to naturalize tens of thousands of immigrants in order for them to be able to vote in the upcoming elections.

PRLDEF has reviewed the decision with its co-counsel and has recently requested the judge reconsider his decision on a number of grounds.

Throughout the litigation process, the government has enacted a number of measures to accelerate the naturalization process. Soon after PRLDEF brought its suit in March, USCIS announced it would be speeding up the naturalization adjudication process to an average of 13-15 months, down from 14-18 months.

As we awaited a date for a hearing on the case, the government announced another change in policy: a joint plan to eliminate the backlog of name checks pending with the F.B.I. by 2009. Staff and resources would be expanded and a goal was set to complete 98% of all name checks within 30 days.

By May 2008 USCIS claimed it would process all name checks pending more than three years, and by July 2008 it would process all name checks pending more than two years.

Additionally, when PRLDEF first brought its case in April 2008, there were approximately 55,000 people in the New York District office who had been waiting over six months to have their applications adjudicated. On July 15, Assistant U.S. Attorney for New York Robert Yalen stated that this number had since dropped to 30,000.

Even though the case was dismissed, the lawsuit has achieved positive outcomes for all immigrants who have been waiting long periods of time to be granted citizenship. This has allowed thousands of people - many of them Latino - to attain citizenship and register to vote in time for the upcoming elections.

LAWbound Scholars Explore the Legal Field in Manhattan

College undergraduates from across the United States got a taste of what it's like to work in the Manhattan legal field at PRLDEF's fourth annual LAWbound summer academy, held last week in New York.

LAWbound aims to increase the number of Latinos and Latinas in the legal profession by preparing undergraduate students for what lies ahead in law school and in a legal career.

This year's talented young Latino and Latina college students had the unique opportunity to receive mentoring and training from some of the nation's top legal professionals in public service and at leading firms.

In addition to classes and seminars, several field trips throughout the week-long course allowed the LAWbound scholars to step into Manhattan's legal world and visit city courtrooms, law offices, and private firms.

Students visited the New York Attorney General's Office, where they met with Assistant Attorney General Andre D. Lugo, Esq. and other attorneys. They also had a chance to speak with Honorable Dora L. Irizarry at the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn.

On their last day, students spoke to attorneys at the law office of Simpson Thacher & Barlett, LLP. On that same day, the firm hosted a closing reception for all of the scholars.

With the support of the Office of Diversity Initiatives of the Law School Admission Council, LAWbound's goal is to increase the number of Latinos who go to law school.

"While the Latino population in the United States is at its highest, educational statistics show that Latino representation in law school has either stagnated or declined," Sonji Patrick, Director of PRLDEF Education Programming said. "LAWbound allows PRLDEF to continue to fulfill our mission to diversify the legal profession by identifying and nurturing younger students so that they will become viable candidates for law school admission."

This year 25 students were selected to participate in the program. (In order to be eligible, students must be Latino/a currently enrolled as a college sophomore or freshman, must demonstrate strong academic potential with a minimum B average, and must demonstrate an interest in pursuing a legal education.)

Now that the summer course is over, scholars will continue to receive mentoring from law students that they will be paired with this fall. They will also receive counseling and advice on the law school admissions process from PRLDEF.