Highland Park – Highwood Legal Aid Clinic Statement On Recent Supreme Court Opinion on Travel Ban

Highland Park, IL – June 28, 2017. The Highland Park- Highwood Legal Aid Clinic (HPHLAC) stands in support of our immigrant community and has issued the following statement with regard to the recent Supreme Court opinion on the travel ban:

The Highland Park-Highwood Legal Aid Clinic welcomes the Supreme Court’s decision to consider the Trump Administration’s executive order banning refugees and travelers from six predominantly Muslim countries. We are concerned, however, that the Court’s decision to lift the injunction for those who cannot show a bona fide relationship with a family member or entity in the United States will place an undue burden on the World’s most vulnerable population.

Susan Shulman, HPHLAC Executive Director, stated: “Our humanitarian obligation to protect those fleeing conflict and persecution has never been limited to those with ties to the United States. In fact, this obligation is rooted in our founding ideals as a nation – that all people are entitled to liberty, equality and opportunity regardless of race, religion or nationality. To make protection contingent on certain relationships to American people or institutions is irrational and does nothing to further the Administration’s stated goal of increased security.”

Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, HPHLAC Director of Immigration Law Practice, reiterated: “We must not turn our back on our ideals out of fear, and the HPHLAC reiterates our commitment to equal justice and stands with our community to insist that our institutions uphold our values. The Court’s vague limitation on the applicability of the injunction will lead to confusion and increases the potential that justice will be denied arbitrarily to those in need. We will be closely monitoring the implementation of this decision and will work with our partners to defend dignity and protect those impacted by misguided policy.”

The Clinic was founded on May 1, 2015. The Clinic provides access to justice for individuals who live and work in Highland Park and Highwood in the areas of immigration, landlord-tenant matters, and domestic abuse. The Clinic is U.S. Bureau of Immigration Affairs accredited for legal work in immigration law. The Clinic is located at the Fire House, 1830 Green Bay Road, Highland Park, IL. For more information about the Clinic, visit: www.hphlegalaid.org.