In June 2016, a 16-year-old Somali national presented himself at a Port of Entry in Texas and requested asylum. He was put in a children’s facility, but because he did not have a birth certificate, the government ordered a dental screening a few weeks later and incorrectly determined that he was an adult. From that point until his release on March 14, 2019, when he was 19, Immigration and Customs Enforcement moved him to seven different adult jails in Illinois, Texas, and Louisiana. Our immigration group, led by Kendra Scheuerlein was eventually able to secure his release by winning his asylum case. He is now attending school to obtain his GED and building a life for himself in the Chicagoland area. “We won because our client never gave up hope in the truth of his story and the journey that brought him here, or in his belief that he could find safety in the United States. On this day and every day, we all need to stand up and keep fighting for people like him to help them find safety and community within our borders,” says Ms. Scheuerlein.
For further questions, please contact Kendra Scheuerlein at 312.604.2624.
