Cancer Survivor, Pro-Democracy Activist Released by ICE After 4th Hospitalization
The Kansas City Star reports that Katsiaryna Bartko, a cancer survivor and Belarusian pro-democracy activist seeking asylum, was released from ICE custody after four hospitalizations in just over three months. Her attorney, Rekha Sharma-Crawford, argued that Bartko’s health had become dangerously unstable in detention and that she had been able to manage her condition successfully […]
Afghan asylum seeker who fought the Taliban jailed
In a Springfield News-Leader report, immigration attorney Rekha Sharma-Crawford challenges the warrantless arrest and detention of Afghan asylum seeker Mohammad Ali Dadfar—a former Afghan army security officer who aided U.S. forces and now fears being sent back to Afghanistan. Sharma-Crawford calls the continued due-process denials “un-American” as the case tests enforcement limits under the 2022 […]
Legal Representation Crucial for Refugee Children
The stories below are based off real client experiences. However, all names and specific details have been altered as a matter of privacy and confidentiality. Juana was 11 years old when she came to the U.S. from Honduras. She lived with her grandparents, but they could not protect her from the violence engulfing their country. […]
U.S. Ignores Refugee Crisis At Its Own Border
The stories below are based off real client experiences. However, all names and specific details have been altered as a matter of privacy and confidentiality. A humanitarian refugee crisis has engulfed much of Europe for several months. While the U.S. debates its role in the crisis, it continues to ignore the much closer humanitarian crisis […]
LGBT Community Gains Acceptance in U.S. But Many Countries Lag Behind
The stories below are based off real client experiences. However, all names and specific details have been altered as a matter of privacy and confidentiality. In June, the Supreme Court held that gay marriage is a legal right protected by the U.S. Constitution. This was the culmination of decades of changing attitudes in U.S. society […]
Central American Migration Has Subsided, But Issues Remain: A Kansas City Immigration Attorney’s Take
The stories below are based off real client experiences. However, all names and specific details have been altered as a matter of privacy and confidentiality. This summer was dominated by headlines of the increased migration of mostly women and children from Central America, namely Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Immigration opponents used fear to exaggerate […]