Hey John, it’s Pro Bono Week! In the legal services community, this is the week every year when we pause to celebrate and thank the legions of attorneys, paralegals, and other volunteers who help us ensure members of our communities have access to justice. At the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), that sometimes means spending a day helping Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients renew their legal protection and work authorization, or participating in legal information sessions for newly arrived migrants. And sometimes, it means partnering with a courageous client for years to ensure they have a fair chance at protection in our nation’s complex immigration legal system. This week, we’re excited to celebrate a pro bono victory nearly a decade in the making: Gretta, a trans woman activist and artist, and a long-time NIJC client, won asylum this fall.  NIJC’s LGBT Immigrant Rights Initiative first started representing Gretta as she fought for freedom during two years in immigration detention, and she has been a vocal advocate for justice for trans women asylum seekers in the United States. Visitors to NIJC’s Chicago office have seen her artwork, created during her detention and following her release, gracing our main conference room. Last year, we shared her letter to President Biden, in which she drew from her personal experience to recommend changes to make the immigration system more welcoming and just. Following an eight-year battle to appeal a discriminatory and unreasonable immigration court decision that denied her protection, in September an immigration judge in California finally recognized that Gretta qualified for asylum from the persecution she had faced in Mexico based on her transgender identity. During this prolonged fight for justice, Gretta was not alone. A team of pro bono attorneys from Mayer Brown LLP, in collaboration with NIJC staff, supported her throughout the legal process. The day after Gretta received the news, she spoke with NIJC Legal Supervisor Lee Vanderlinden to share her thanks. Watch Gretta’s message. | 
