b'MINTZ PARTNERS WITH KIND TO HELP AN IMMIGRANT CHILDThe orders were ugo was the last in his family to see his teenageguardian in El Salvadorwas abusive, sufferedvery significant cousin alive. A year after her disappearance, thefrom alcoholism, didnt have steady employment,for the clients authorities found her remains. She had been killedhadnt provided financial support to his childrenfuture relief and his by gang members and dumped in a remote field. for years, and lived with a woman connected to the In El Salvador, gangs recruit vulnerable teensvery gangs ugo was fleeing. ability to stay with cajoling and threatening them until they join, andTheteamworkedwithugoandhismotherinhis mom here in frequently harming or threatening to harm themhalf a dozen long meetings to ascertain the facts.California. We are or family members if they refuse. \x07earing for herMintz scheduled a court hearing for April, a couple lifeafterhercousinsmurder,ugosteenagedof months before ugos 1th birthday, after whichvery grateful for sister fled to the United States, where their motherobtaining SI\x0bS would become much more dicult.Mintzs partnership was living after surviving years of abuse from theirThen the COVID-19 pandemic struck.and amazing work father in El Salvador. With international travel restrictions and a strictin this case!\x03y 1, ugo faced increasing pressure to join thequarantine order in El Salvador, it was impossible gang.Since leaving his house, even to go to schooltoformallyservenoticeoftheproceedingson or work, was terrifying, he decided to make hisugosfather,buttheteamfoundacreative way alone to the United States. Two years later,solutionknowingugokeptintouchwithhisKATIE ANNANDManaging Attorney\x0cids in \x0feed of Defense \x0cI\x0fD contacted MintzfatherviaWhatsApp,theyusedtheapplicationKids in Need of Defense forassistancewithhisasylumcase.\x0cI\x0fDhadto transmit the documents. Then, in a WhatsApp(KIND)obtainedasylumforugos sister,butgiventhecall with ugos father, they explained what the changing political climate, ugos case would bepapers were and how he could contest his sons SI\x0bS more challenging. petition, should he wish to do so. Cesar provided Three years ago, former Mintz attorney Samanthavitaltranslationassistancethroughoutthese Duplantis,withguidancefromattorneyMarthacommunications.\x0costerin\x03oston,ledaCalifornia-basedteamWhen the pandemic caused a postponement of the including her San \x07rancisco colleague Sam Sazerhearingtomid-\x0bune,afterugos1thbirthday, and San Diego attorneys Audrey \x0fguyen and CesarMintz successfully sought emergency relief via ex Dulanto. Assistant Sarah Strickland helped, as didparte application to move the date forward. former Mintz attorneys Carolyn Sha and AmandaOnMay19,Samanthapresentedugoscasein Muskat, who decided to apply for Special Immigrantcourt.\x08iventhatugoisjustoneofsomany \x0buvenile Status SI\x0bS on ugos behalf. Under thechildrenwhocometothiscountryfleeinggang SI\x0bSprogram,childrenwhovebeenabandoned,violence, I worried the judge might not be moved neglected, or abused by a parent or guardian canby his story, but the judge was very sympathetic, obtainlegalpermanentresidentstatusintheand granted our petition, Samantha said.ugo United States if there is no other adult back homecan now obtain a green card and remain in the to care for them. We looked at the case holistically,UnitedStatespermanently.eandhismother always considering how our strategy would impactare thrilled. ugo, Audrey said. ugo was a strong candidate forSI\x0bS,sincehisfatherhisonlyavailable RESILIENCE // Mintz Pro Bono Journal 33'