STEPHANIE ROSENDORF, KIRSTEN CORNELIUSSEN, ERIN EVASHEVSKI, AND BENNETT BLACHAR
NEWSBRIEFS
IMMIGRATION CLINIC WINS CASES FOR JAMAICAN LGBTQ IMMIGRANTS
MI A MI LAW maga zine | F AL L 2 015
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n separate victories, students in Miami Law’s Immigration Clinic represented two Jamaican LGBTQ individuals seeking protection from homophobic violence in their home country. Both of the Clinic’s clients were threatened with death and one was attacked. Under U.S. immigration law, immigrants who fear persecution or torture in their country of origin can file for asylum, withholding of removal, or relief under the Convention Against Torture Act. Jamaica criminalizes certain sexual conduct under a sodomy law. As the U.S. State Department has recognized, violence against members of the LGBTQ community in Jamaica is widespread, and the Jamaican police are complicit in the abuse. “Knowing that our client would be sent back into a world where he was likely to be severely beaten, incarcerated, or even beheaded compelled me to be the best advocate possible,” said clinic student Stephanie Rosendorf. Her clinic partner, student Kirsten Corneliussen, added, “The most heart-wrenching part of working on this asylum case was putting our client in a situation where he had to relive and relay the horrible abuses he endured in Jamaica.
However, this process was a necessary step to prepare him to tell his story and we were able to build a relationship of trust with him.” “The Immigration Clinic saved my life,” their client said. Bennett Blachar and Erin Evashevski, also Immigration Clinic students, represented a Jamaican man detained at Krome Service Processing Center who sought relief under the Convention Against Torture Act. “I knew Jamaica was a dangerous place for people in the LGBTQ community, but the more I researched the issue and interviewed our client, the clearer it became that this case truly meant life or death for him,” Evashevski said. “The high stakes for our client pushed me to work harder.” “I am proud of the top notch representation our students provided our clients,” said Professor Rebecca Sharpless, Director of the Immigration Clinic. “The students’ hard work paid off in victories for their clients, and the students gained invaluable lawyering skills.”