2023 Impact Report
2023 Impact Report
Special Projects
afghan asylum project
In August 2021, as a result of the crisis in Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan citizens began arriving in the United States, with urgent needs for legal and social services as they sought to rebuild their lives. We launched our Afghan Asylum Project shortly after with the goal of supporting as many refugees as possible with their asylum cases and providing access to health care, food, shelter, and the other basics they would need right away.
Since this project began, we:
- Won 100 asylum cases for our Afghan clients, enabling families to stay in the U.S. on a permanent pathway to legal status.
- Answered nearly 300 calls to our toll-free helpline for information and referrals, including more than 70 from monolingual speakers of Dari or Pashto.
- Served more than 200 asylum seekers with a total of 214 legal cases and 61 social services cases for clients in 41 cities across 18 states.
- Mentored approximately 500 pro bono attorneys so they can better assist survivors.
- Collaborated with the Asian University for Women (AUW), Mayer Brown, American University, and at least 15 law firms to support 146 Afghan women students at AUW who had been studying remotely in Afghanistan.
- Traveled to military bases around the country to meet with Afghan women and other refugees to offer support and information about their rights as asylum seekers.
- Delivered a training on asylee-adjustment to 94 practitioners seeking to serve and support Afghan asylees as they file for their green cards.
pro bono network
Our Pro Bono Network includes thousands of attorneys who generously share their time and expertise to help survivors find justice and safety. Nearly all of Tahirih’s clients live below the poverty line and cannot afford to hire a lawyer to support their claims for asylum or visa applications, so the free legal counsel and representation we can offer is essential for survivors to rebuild their lives.
In 2023, our Pro Bono Network:
- Helped counsel 780 cases, with engagement from 1,192 pro bono attorneys.
- Donated $60 million worth of professional services in support of Tahirih clients.
Law firms often partner with different organizations. Tahirih knows how to make that partnership successful and understands how law firms are structured and how people work. You give the attorneys working with you jointly on matters the resources and the background that we need to provide a truly successful representation.
Carrie Cohen, Morrison Foerster
Special Thanks to the Top Five Pro Bono Firms Supporting the Most Tahirih Cases in 2023:
I didn’t have the resources to pay for a lawyer. However, Tahirih arrived like angels. They took my asylum case and thanks to them and those who support them, I won my case. I was so happy and finally I could cease feeling afraid.
Maria, Tahirih Client
