Please consider supporting Miles and me as we Run (well probably walk) for Justice on behalf of Public Counsel.

Over this last year as I've struggled to care for a toddler in the midst of a global pandemic (and prepare to welcome baby # 2 in August!), I've been exhausted and overwhelmed and acutely aware of how fortunate I've been to be able to weather the pandemic with a secure job, safe family, and nice home that I rarely have to leave.  

My clients, on the other hand, have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. They and their guardians have lost jobs, lost their homes, and been hospitalized after contracting COVID. Some of the children I work with have lost their guardians to COVID. And by enacting Title 42 and closing the border to asylum seekers, the government has separated more and more children from their families. It's been devastating.

I'm really grateful to have been to come alongside many children and families through my work at Public Counsel and to see their determination and hope in the midst of these challenges. This last year, my colleagues and I filed a federal lawsuit which forced the government to award a green card for a Guatemalan youth who'd been waiting five years for the government to process his application. In November, I held a two-month old baby during an hourlong court hearing after the judge ordered her 18 year old mother to risk her life to come to court in person. And in March alone, I was able to secure critical orders for six children that will enable them to stay safe in the United States with their caretakers. 

I'm proud of the work my colleagues have done over the last year across all of Public Counsel's practice areas. In addition to our immigration practice, my colleagues have been in court throughout the pandemic protecting our community members from eviction, working to ensure that veterans access the benefits they deserve, and fighting against predatory lending schemes that have cost too many people their homes. For additional information about Public Counsel, please visit their website at www.publiccounsel.org. 

I hope that you will join Miles, Nate and me in supporting Public Counsel!