The Attorney of the Day program (AOD) at the San Francisco Immigration Court works to address the lack of universal representation for adults and unaccompanied children in the Bay Area. KIND’s attorneys and paralegals focus on the juvenile docket—typically, unaccompanied children (21 years old or younger) in an Office of Refugee Resettlement shelter, or children in immigration proceedings separate from their parents’ immigration case. KIND attorneys also use the AOD program as a training opportunity for staff to understand how initial hearings in immigration court are conducted and to assess relief for these youth.
A typical day looks like this: KIND’s attorneys and paralegals sign in and review the day’s juvenile docket. The Immigrant Center for Women and Children (ICWC) provides a presentation for anyone in court that day. The attorneys meet and get a list of those who do not have representation. (ICWC and KIND are members of the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative, a collective of 15 organizations dedicated to serving the San Francisco immigrant community.) The attorneys introduce themselves to those needing representation, explain what their legal services are, and ask who would like help. They meet with each unrepresented child for about 25 minutes to learn about the child, figure out what their options are, and explain what types of relief for which they may be eligible. Then, they speak on behalf of the child in the proceedings. AOD attorneys and paralegals typically see about 15 unrepresented families each day.
KIND Senior Staff Attorney Amanda Maya Daneshzadeh explains, “When you walk into immigration court for filings you tend to see immigrants standing in corners, basically pleading with attorneys for help because they don’t know what their documents mean…a lot of people don’t even know who to call, how to get started.”
“The judges are very understanding and cooperative, and support what the AOD program is doing. The children have high levels of fear and worry—just having someone with them to advocate for them and explain to them what’s happening is a substantial relief. Being involved with the program has given me hope that there’s discussion within the San Francisco immigration court that juveniles shouldn’t be testifying in court.” She hopes that the Bay Area AOD program will serve as a model for implementing trauma-informed, child-friendly processes across immigration courts in the United States.