Beyond Legal Aid - FY23 Annual Report

COLLABORATIONS ON NEW CHAPTERS FY23 Annual Report July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2-5 BOARD & STAFF

6-7 LETTER FROM PRESIDENT

8-9 LETTERS FROM CODIRECTORS

10 MISSION & MODEL

11 COMMUNITY PARTNERS

12-13 DEMOGRAPHICS & IMPACT

14-15 PROMOTING ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH

16-17 FINALLY TELLING HIS STORY

18 HITTING THE RESET BUTTON

19 HAVING HOPE

20-21 TAKING BACK WHAT’S YOURS

22-24 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, VOLUNTEERS, & THANKS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

LEMINH HOANG

THOMAS ALÁAN

SAM HEPPELL

ELLEN CRAIG

President

Vice President

Secretary

President Emeritus

AUDREY PEIPER

BERTO AGUAYO

PAGE 2

ELIZABETH ARUMILLI

IRAKERE PICON

LIZA JAGER

EMILY BROWN

JOSH TAYLOR

KEVIN DRUCKER

RAYMUNDO VALDEZ PAGE 3

STAFF AJ JOHNSON REYES

ALICIA ENRIQUEZ

ALISON SICZEK

ALYSSA MOINET

ANTHONY ESPINOSA

ANTONIO GUTIERREZ

BINDHU VIJAYAN

BREMI CAULTON

CIARA TAYLOR

DANIEL MEYER

DEBORAH GARRIGUS

PAGE 4

DELANEY WERNER

FREDERICK ROBERTS

LAM HO

LORELEY ARVIZU

MICHAEL DRAKE

NADIA SINGH

NATHALIA TCHAIKOVSKY

SARAH COCKRUM

SARAH KAPLAN

SAUL BRAND PADILLA

TRACI WILLIAMS

YAJAIRA YEPEZ

PAGE 5

A WORD FROM OUR PRESIDENT

Beyond Legal Aid Friends, As we approach the end of another remarkable year at Beyond, we would like to express our gratitude to the entire Beyond community for your dedication and support: our partner organizations, community members, donors, volunteers, and staff. Beyond has continued to thrive, thanks to this community's hard work and commitment.

Beyond depends on your support and partnership to fulfill our mission: to unite lawyers and activists in a collaborative pursuit for justice by leveraging legal services to empower the most marginalized communities and individuals. Here are some of the highlights from the past year: Beyond hired 6 attorneys in fiscal year 2023! Our staff continues to grow every year, which is exciting because this increases our capacity to support our partner communities.

We initiated three partnerships in FY23, Farmworker & Landscaper Advocacy Project, Increase the Peace, and Tenant Education Network.

We worked with Blocks Together to launch their Executive Clemency Hub--the first of its kind in Illinois--to support community members with executive clemency petitions, working with community organizers.

We are proud of these achievements and excited about the possibilities and change that lie ahead. In 2021, I committed to serving as Beyond's Board President for two years.

PAGE 6

At the end of 2023, I will transition from the Board President role while remaining a Board Member. I'm excited to share that Elizabeth Arumilli has been elected as Beyond’s next Board President. Congratulations to Elizabeth, and all of us on the Board are thrilled to collaborate with Elizabeth in her new role!

As we look forward to the coming year, new opportunities and goals are on the horizon.

With your continued dedication and support, we can achieve even greater success and make a meaningful impact on our community.

We offer our sincere gratitude! Together, we are changing legal aid!

Warm regards,

LeMinh Hoang

LEMINH HOANG BOARD PRESIDENT

PAGE 7

A WORD FROM OUR CO-DIRECTORS Dear Beyond Community, On October 30, 2017, Bindhu Vijayan joined the team.

She returned home to Illinois, returning to her commitment to public interest law and her love for serving low-income immigrant families. She joined us to be an immigration supervisor: she became Beyond’s heart and soul.

Bindhu’s arrival at Beyond is one of the most important moments in Beyond’s history. She has contributed to, often leading, incredible improvement and growth for Beyond and the programs we support with our community partners—including over ten new ones.

Beyond now serves dozens of communities outside of Chicago, is spearheading innovative programs for newly-arrived asylum seekers, and has overhauled our training and mentoring of our staff all under Bindhu’s leadership. And she did it all with her unique blend of deep empathy, incredible patience, and unrelenting idealism.

That is why I am thrilled, and enormously grateful, that Beyond’s next chapter opens with Bindhu and I collaborating as Co-Directors of Beyond Legal Aid. With nearly 30 different programs across Illinois, national initiatives (our inaugural leadership course for community lawyers and activists across the country starts next week), an extremely talented team that has exponentially grown, and groundbreaking projects in development (make sure you get our updates), Beyond is ready for our next chapter, and that chapter needs Bindhu.

Thank you Bindhu, and thank you to all of all amazing staff, Board directors, volunteers, and supporters for making all of Beyond’s chapters possible.

Solidarity in Resistance...

LAM HO GRATEFUL AND EXCITED CO-DIRECTOR

PAGE 8

Dear Valued Beyond Supporter, At an early age I learned that life is not one but many journeys. Nearly six years ago, one of my life’s journeys led me back home at a time when I was frustrated with the “justice” system and how I was trained to practice. In October of 2017, I discovered Beyond Legal Aid (then CALA). From the onset, I felt genuine joy and a sense of belonging. It was amazing to bear witness to an organization that respects and leverages the work of community organizations, its leaders, organizers, and activists and strongly values the knowledge and problem-solving skills of underserved communities and their members. I was thrilled to embark on this next chapter in my life.

Over the next six years, Beyond and I grew and challenged ourselves. We learned to listen more and be creative and intentional with our internal and external practices. This year, the amazing Beyond team has made strides – we collaborated and created new chapters together. We strengthened our partnerships and built strong relationships with our three new partners. We remain passionate about continuing our capacity-building programming, taking on a new activist campaign, and developing work supporting those who have recently arrived and are seeking asylum, which required a thoughtful and cross-partnership process of reviewing the situation holistically and collaboratively, while being mindful of legal and non-legal concerns.

I am genuinely grateful to Lam for mentoring me these past six years and now putting his trust in me to co-lead this organization with him. Beyond and I flourished because of his vision and his passion. A sincere thank you to the Beyond community including our team, community partners, Board members, funders, volunteers, and supporters – for your continued collaboration and support.

With Heartfelt Gratitude,

BINDHU VIJAYAN CO-DIRECTOR

PAGE 9

MISSION

Beyond Legal Aid unites lawyers and activists in a collaborative pursuit for justice by leveraging legal services to empower the most marginalized communities and individuals. Beyond is changing legal aid.

MODEL

Through transformative partnerships with communities, combining our lawyering with their activism, we achieve more impact than lawyers working alone.

We are changing how lawyers and communities work together. Our lawyers work with activists to support their communities’ access justice and pursue social change.

Beyond Legal Aid’s community activism lawyering model shifts legal aid toward a more equitable, community-driven method of lawyering. We’re not only closing the justice gap; we’re redistributing the law’s power into the hands of our community partners, supporting the people most impacted by injustices to be leaders in social change instead of recipients of transactional legal services.

Beyond Legal Aid collaborates with underserved communities through the process of building locally-owned legal aid programs.

The community owns these programs; community members and leaders staff and run the programs in partnership with Beyond’s legal team. All legal work is collaborative, and conducted within partners’ spaces.

Our team commits to a critical starting point: We can achieve social justice only when lawyers work with—and are directed by— community members, leaders, and activists. The community controls our work; they decide the areas of law we practice and determine the cases we take—and even how we handle them. Beyond's role is to support, empower, advise, and follow their decisionmaking.

PAGE 10

COMMUNITY PARTNERS Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment

Healing to Action Increase the Peace

Albany Park Defense Network

Jane Addams Senior Caucus

Arab-American Action Network

Mano a Mano Family Resource Center

Arise Chicago

Organized Communities Against Deportations

Autonomous Tenants Union Revolution Workshop Blocks Together Brighton Park Neighborhood Council

Sex Workers Outreach Project Chicago Somos Logan Square

Centro de Información Centro de Trabajadores Unidos

Tenant Education Network Únete La Villita

Enlace Chicago Farmworker & Landscaper Advocacy Project

Vietnamese Association of Illinois

PAGE 11

CASE DEMOGRAPHICS Criminal Justice Family 7% Employment 4.1% 3.1% Other 6.8% Housing 6.2%

Nonbinary & No Gender Specified 0.4%

Immigration 72.8%

Male 41.7%

Female 57.9% Caucasian/ Biracial/ White Asian/ Multiracial 1.5% Pacific 5.8% Islander 4% African American/Black 10.4% American Indian 0.1% Middle Eastern 2.3% Hispanic/Latino/ Latina/Latinx 75.9%

PAGE 12

OUR IMPACT

1,952

Total Cases

174

Helpline Calls

28

Workshops PAGE 13

PROMOTING ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH

Beyond was proud to announce the promotion of long-time staff member, Bindhu Vijayan, to Co-Director, alongside founder Lam Nguyen Ho. Bindhu came to Beyond with over 10 years of immigration experience, immediately making her an invaluable member of the team. Prior to law school, she did grassroots work in Chicago with the South Asian community. During and after law school, Bindhu provided comprehensive legal services to immigrant families focusing on deportation defense in New York.

When she decided to come back to Chicago, she made the conscious decision to use her skills for good and with an organization that aligned with her core values. When she discovered Beyond (CALA at the time), she realized it was the perfect fit because it fulfilled the passion for which she was looking.

Bindhu joined the CALA team in October 2017 as an immigration supervisor. It was her first time in her legal practice working alongside organizers and activists. This required a lot of learning, and especially unlearning. Next, she became the Director of Immigrant Empowerment & Activism. In this role, she learned forward thinking from an organizational leadership point of view.

In 2019, she became Co-Deputy Director – overseeing the legal staff, and two years later, the sole Deputy Director.

“There have been years of learning to get to this point, and Lam has been the person steadfast in my learning,” said Bindhu.

In response to the promotion, Bindhu said, “collaborating with Lam and his vision over the years has created a harmony between us, so we have been able to learn what was best for Beyond’s future together.

PAGE 14

Co-directorship is aligned with Beyond’s ethos, in that each person brings their own strengths to the table. His mentorship has readied me for this position.” Lam, excited about this next step for his long-time colleague and friend, said, “For several years, Bindhu has been the heart and soul of Beyond. Her leadership has overseen Beyond’s success; the title just confirms what has been true for quite a while.” President of the Beyond Board of Directors, LeMinh Hoang, also supported this decision, saying, Congratulations Bindhu! The Board and I are thrilled and grateful for your dedication and contributions to Beyond. You and Lam co-leading Beyond will benefit the organization in many ways - from providing broader and deeper expertise to continuing meaningful relationships with our community partners and supporters. Thank you for advancing Beyond to continue changing legal aid!”

With Beyond’s 10th anniversary next year, Bindhu’s promotion is a critical step to ensuring strong capacity and infrastructure for Beyond’s fast organizational growth. We are humbled to have come so far, and enormously thankful for all the contributions Bindhu made to that achievement.

PAGE 15

FINALLY TELLING HIS STORY Some of our cases aren’t always a “success” in the traditional sense, but these stories also need to be told. Mr. G is a community member who came to Beyond back when we were still called Community Activism Law Alliance (CALA). In August of 2016, Mr. G was ambushed by ICE because of his race on a public street corner while looking for work as a day laborer. The ICE officers used derogatory language, harassed him when he exercised his rights, used violence against him, and detained him on the spot. He was detained for three weeks when Beyond was brought on the case by community partner, OCAD, and Latino Union. We promptly filed a motion for bond and Mr. G was released from ICE custody.

One year later, current Beyond CoDirector, Bindhu Vijayan, joined the team. At this point, Mr. G was in removal proceedings and Beyond, OCAD, and Latino Union wanted the removal proceedings terminated.

The enforcement actions and subsequent arrest of Mr. G raised serious questions that ICE engaged in unlawful racial profiling, surveillance, and retaliation against a day laborer for exercising his constitutional rights.

Unfortunately, Mr. G’s final hearing was delayed because of a judge reassignment and pandemic-related court closures. Despite the delays, Mr. G and his team were hopeful as there has been a slight reckoning in this country with regards to race and policing. Mr. G and the team finally stood before an immigration judge in March 2022, but the judge rejected Mr. G’s claims without hearing his testimony.

Beyond fought that, and he had a full hearing in May 2023, when he finally got to tell his side. After 7 long years, his story was told. Unfortunately, it was not genuinely heard by the judge.

PAGE 16

In the immigration-removal context, immigration judges have the authority to hold ICE accountable for racial and ethnic profiling in violation of the Constitution and government regulations. Mr. G and his team pled with the court to use that power to ensure that ICE respects the rights that our constitution guarantees and is not allowed to benefit from the violation of those rights.

Sadly, in June 2023, Beyond was informed that the judge would deny the case. Today, the case is technically still pending as we await the final decision. When we receive the decision, Beyond will appeal: the fight is not over!

This is a raw and realistic look into immigration cases in the United States. Lead attorney, Bindhu Vijayan, said, “this story needs to be told to give insight into what people are being subjected to by ICE. It’s important to not be complacent.” While working alongside organizers and activists, Bindhu said she had to learn to practice differently, but when she was battling a defeatist mindset, wondering if it’s even worth it, these passionate people inspired her that it was. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with OCAD for years to come.

PAGE 17

HITTING THE RESET BUTTON Beyond Legal Aid has the privilege of working with a variety of community members and we would like to share Francine’s story. Francine is originally from Cameroon, where she married her husband in 2007. The next year, they welcomed a son, Peter. The following year, Francine’s husband moved to the United States. He promised he would secure green cards for his family so that they could join him, but he didn’t keep his promise.

From 2009-2016, Francine’s husband sent money back home to help care for their son, but in 2016, he sent a letter stating that he will no longer send money and that he’s with a new woman. Feeling abandoned, Francine decided to take her family’s future into her own hands and move to the U.S. Finances quickly became an issue for Francine and Peter, suddenly being thrust into a single-income household. Francine worked in housekeeping but, as her ex-husband was the clear breadwinner of the family, she was unable to make ends meet. That’s when she realized she needed help.

Francine found other legal aid options at first, but none of them were the right fit. A friend of hers referred her to Beyond and she decided to call the helpline. Francine’s goals working with Beyond were to “obtain a divorce, primary allocation of parental responsibilities, and child support, and to learn about the legal process to help me advocate for myself in the future”.

After months in court, in July, she finally obtained her divorce, and the judge ordered her husband to pay full child support for their son and maintenance for her, including retroactive payments. Finally, Francine earned a reset button, and she felt a sense of relief. She could look at the future with confidence, rather than fear.

When asked to reflect on her experience, Francine said, “Beyond was the first to actually understand me” and that they were always “available for support and helpful”. She appreciated the way that they provided her with updates about her case and took the time to make sure she was informed and comfortable in the process. She said, “child support changed my outlook on life and made me a more hopeful person.”

PAGE 18

HAVING HOPE Sometimes hope is all that keeps you going. That’s exactly what community member, Rosalina, did throughout her time working with Beyond Legal Aid. Rosalina came to us through community partner, Mano a Mano Family Resource Center when she was looking for immigration support in 2019.

Her first goal was to secure a work permit, then her second goal was to be granted asylum. Rosalina said she enjoyed working alongside her Beyond attorneys, Sarah Cockrum and Bindhu Vijayan, and that they supported her with everything she needed.

She was thrilled to be granted a work permit after a year, but asylum takes much longer so all she could do was work and wait it out. “I felt worried”, said Rosalina, “but my attorneys assured me that we had a good case and that helped me relax and keep the hope alive.” Going into the last asylum hearing, Rosalina said she felt “nervous, but confident”.

After three long years, Rosalina was finally granted asylum. She said, “it was a long journey, but I was happy.”

It is inspiring how Rosalina got through a difficult time by having hope and trusting the process. Now, as she looks back on her case, she is filled with gratitude, “I want to thank you very much. I hope Beyond can help more people because it’s a wonderful organization.” We can’t wait to hear about Rosalina’s new chapter in life.

PAGE 19

TAKING BACK WHAT’S YOURS Affordable, safe housing remains a challenge for many families in Chicago, which is why Schanel’s story is so important to share. In 2021, Schanel toured an apartment and had a few concerns from the start, but the landlord assured her that they would be resolved before she moved in.

Schanel signed a year-long lease and began paying rent in August 2021; however, she was not able to move in until October 2021 because of the repairs that the landlord was supposed to make. When Schanel and her twoyear-old daughter finally moved in, they discovered nothing had been fixed. Now that they were settled in, she tried to remain positive and make the best of the situation.

Unfortunately, this set him off and Schanel described him “becoming angry and difficult” at this point. He tried multiple times to do the repairs after 10pm, well after her daughter was asleep. When he could not fix the issues on his schedule, he then put numerous eviction notices on her door.

Schanel had not yet been served, but she went ahead and found a new apartment, so she could slowly move her things.

That is, until the flooding began in summer of 2022. Schanel was living in a basement unit that was not sealed properly and every time it stormed, her unit flooded. There was even one time she came home to find her dog soaking wet due to the flooding. This was the final straw for her, so she gave her landlord 14 days to fix all of the issues in her apartment, while she withheld her rent.

PAGE 20

One day when she was not home, her landlord keyed into her apartment and threw out the rest of her belongings, including family heirlooms, a bed, clothes for her unborn baby as she was 8 months pregnant at the time, and more. Schanel felt completely violated and defeated, so this is when she contacted Beyond for support.

Collaborating with her Beyond attorney, Michael Drake, Schanel forced her landlord to repay the costs of her belongings that were thrown away. When asked about how she feels about her victory, she said, “I feel relieved to be away from that landlord. I felt unsafe there and I feel sorry for the next tenant. It was a draining and never-ending battle.” Schanel is now a mother of 2 young daughters, but this experience has also inspired her to be an advocate for others in housing crises. Beyond is extremely grateful for having empowered Schanel and are proud of her tenacity and unrelenting fighting spirit.

PAGE 21

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Corporations

Foundations Alphawood Foundation Chicago Echoing Green Gimon d'Ansembourg Foundation Illinois Bar Foundation Illinois Equal Justice Foundation Illinois Immigration Funders Collaborative John & Mary Raitt Family Foundation Julian Grace Foundation Justice Catalyst MacArthur Foundation Polk Bros Foundation Skadden Fellowship Foundation Tides Foundation

Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd. Kirkland & Ellis LLP Foundation Marc Realty Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius LLC University of Chicago

Individual Donors Ami Striker Andrea Grostern Anne Wooding Anthony Borich Audrey Peiper Ayrie Moore Bao Ho Bela Day Brian Sands Carlos Bernal Chirag Badlani Daivd Rosenbaum David Boone David Ho David Meyer Debbie Nguyen Debbie Saul Deborah Garrigus Diana Lin Dulce Ortiz Elizabeth Arumilli Ellen Craig Ellen Hanson

Hagit Lewis James McMillan Jason Adkins Jennifer Levine Joshua Johnston Julie Kadish Katelyn Bennett Katherine McGrail Katrina Lore Kevin Drucker Laura Bluman Laura Fatemi LeMinh Hoang Leslie Garber Linda Taylor Lisa Ledvora Maria Salgado Marley Cyrluk Mary Shea Matthew Piers Matthew Simmons Michelle Kruse Nancia Shawver Natalie Jacobson

Nishant Dittakavi Rabbi Shulamit Thiede Rachel Ahitow Samuel Heppell Samuel Levine Sandra Weinstein Sandy Lopez Scheagbe Grigsby Scott Inbinder Sergio Ceron Stephanie Kruse Steve Glickman Jessica & Steve Sarowitz Steven Art Susan Besson Taylor Massa Theresa Nguyen Thomas Lipsmeyer Tiffany Harper Tim Werner Timothy Borich Troy Tilton Warren Sallie

PAGE 22

THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS! PAGE 23

THANK YOU! Administrative Office 17 North State Street Suite 1380 Chicago IL 60602 Phone: (312) 999-0056 / Fax: (312) 999-0076 Email: info@beyondlegalaid.org www.beyondlegalaid.org Twitter/X: @BeyondLegalAid Facebook: @BeyondLegalAid Instagram: @BeyondLegalAid

PAGE 24