About a dozen attorneys from the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) Immigration Law Section will soon be providing legal assistance to some of the estimated 10,800 Afghan evacuees who are being housed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, also known as Fort Dix, in Burlington County.
Another 3,000-4,000 evacuees are expected to arrive this week, according to Jeffrey DeCristofaro, director of the Camden Center for Law and Social Justice, which is coordinating with the NJSBA section’s Afghan Evacuees Attorney Volunteers pro bono mission.
The section’s pro bono project was approved by the Board of Trustees last month.
Fort Dix is one of several military bases in the United States that are now home to Afghans who were evacuated in August when the U.S. ended its 20-year war in Afghanistan.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of this. It’s a way to provide a public service to those who need it and to be a part of something bigger and to be a part of history,” said Michele Alcalde, chair of the section.
DeCristofaro said volunteer attorneys will initially be tasked with answering the evacuees’ questions about their immigration status and the steps they need to take to ensure they can legally stay in the U.S. There are a number of government agencies at the base working to process the evacuees, but they are not permitted to provide legal advice, he said.
“That’s why they need us as independent lawyers to come in,” he said.
“We will be giving consultations about what their status is and what they have to do in the future once they are relocated in different parts of the country as they are resettled,” DeCristofaro said.
DeCristofaro said the volunteers will be doing individual consultations and small-group sessions about the process and procedures, which could begin with holding up a photo of a passport with a particular stamp on it and explaining what it means. Several interpreters will also be working with the attorneys.
“We’ve been outside meeting with people literally under a pavilion or at picnic table under the sun. Kids are playing next to us and it’s not uncommon to swat away volleyball or soccer ball,” he said.
Attorneys who are interested in volunteering can contact [email protected].