On October 16th, The Legal Aid Society and community partners came together to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Immigration Court Juvenile Docket, and recognize individuals and members of the Immigrant Children Advocates’ Relief Effort (ICARE) who were instrumental in the establishment of the protections for immigrant youth as well as those who continue this important work. The event took place at White & Case who was our first pro bono partner providing representation on the Juvenile Docket.

Janet Sabel, Attorney-in-Chief of The Legal Aid Society addressed those in the audience, offering a historical review of the origins of the docket. Other speakers included Adriene Holder, Attorney-in-Charge of the Civil practice at The Legal Aid Society; Hasan Shafiqullah, Attorney-in-Charge of The Legal Aid Society’s Immigration Law Unit; Beth Krause, Supervising Attorney of the Immigration Law Unit; and Bitta Mostofi, Commissioner of NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.

We wish to recognize those organizations and professionals whose tireless advocacy and collaboration enable us to continue to advance the rights of immigrant children and their families: Catholic Charities, Central American Legal Assistance (CALA), The Door, Immigrant Justice Corps, KIND, Make the Road New York, New York Community Trust, the New York City Council, Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, Robin Hood, Safe Passage Project and all members of the ICARE Coalition, as well as our staff at The Legal Aid Society.

The Legal Aid Society also wishes to recognize our unions, 1199 and ALAA, for their steadfast dedication to our client community and mission.

See all the photos from the event here.