Fragomen, the world’s leading provider of immigration services, is pleased to announce the appointment of Caitlin Miner-Le Grand as the firm’s latest “Fragomen Fellow” effective September 25, 2017. The Fragomen Fellowship, established more than a decade ago, is a two-year rotating position the firm’s New York office established to enhance the pro bono immigration services provided by the City Bar Justice Center, the pro bono affiliate of the New York City Bar Association.
Ms. Miner-Le Grand will focus on advocacy to enhance the access to and quality of counsel for immigrants in New York. To this end, she will be responsible for training and mentoring pro bono lawyers. In addition, she will continue the critical community education and outreach activities that previous Fragomen Fellows spearheaded.
Ms. Miner-Le Grand replaces former Fragomen Fellow Danny Alicea, who has joined the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office in the newly-created position of Special Counsel for Immigration. In this position, Mr. Alicea is responsible for creating procedures and trainings in furtherance of a new internal policy directing all ADAs to factor in a person’s immigration status and any potential immigration-related collateral consequences when considering potential plea offers.
Lisa Koenig, a member of the Board of the City Bar Fund and a Partner at Fragomen who supervises the Fragomen Fellow, said “Caitlin’s selection as our firm’s new Fellow at the City Bar Justice Center, along with the firm’s many other partnerships with nonprofit immigrant advocacy organizations around the United States and around the world, helps to solidify the firm’s commitment to providing pro bono legal services to low-income immigrants.”
Ms. Miner-Le Grand comes to this position after having been embedded at the City Bar Justice Center for three years as an Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC) Fellow. In this position, she provided direct representation to low-income immigrants applying for various forms of immigration relief, including asylum, U nonimmigrant status for victims of crime, T nonimmigrant status for survivors of labor and sex trafficking, self-petitions under the Violence Against Women’s Act for abused spouses and children, and Special Immigrant Juvenile status for eligible immigrant youth. She also represented clients in immigration court, performed Know Your Rights presentations for community groups, and assisted in pro bono clinics.