Photo by Nitish Meena on Unsplash
The lawyers and paralegals at Maxwell Street Legal Clinic work tirelessly to help clients secure immigration status in the United States, including those who are survivors of crime. One of this year’s success stories involves Lamar, a trafficking survivor who Maxwell Street has been working with since 2018.
Lamar was brought to the United States as a minor and promised that he could study here, get scholarships to play basketball at the collegiate level, and be adopted so he could get U.S. citizenship. Instead, his traffickers forced him to work, subjected him to terrible physical conditions, and threatened to have him deported if he pushed back.
After finally escaping his traffickers, Maxwell Street helped Lamar apply for a T visa, which provides humanitarian protection to immigrants who are victims of human trafficking. After a long legal struggle, including defending Lamar against deportation efforts, his T visa was approved. Lamar can now live and work in the United States, apply for a green card, and bring his family to the country.
“Getting that call from Maxwell Street that my T visa has been granted after waiting for so many years was the best day of my life,” says Lamar. “I will never forget about it. It means the world for me to be reunited with my family after seven years.”
Lamar — and Kentuckians like him — are the reason that we do this work. Your support during Good Giving and throughout the year means that more immigrant crime survivors can receive safety and security in Kentucky.
Kentuckians need you now more than ever. We’re proud to be in the fight for equal justice with compassionate people like you, and we’re deeply grateful for your support. For more information on how you can support KEJC during this year's Good Giving Challenge, visit our challenge page.