“Community and Isolation in Immigration Law”
-Sara Wesolek
Recently, I attended several immigration court hearings with OCSILiO. While I have visited court during other internship experiences, I had not attended an immigration hearing before working with OCSILiO. One of the most discernible differences between immigration and other courts is the value of community presence.
In the beginning of July, I joined the OCSILiO team for a hearing in the Cleveland Immigration court. Our client was a young mother who fled labor trafficking and traveled by herself to the United States as a minor. She was detained by ICE for driving without a license, and her son was subsequently placed in foster care. On the way to the courthouse, Brian mentioned that volunteers from Americans Making Immigrants Safe (AMIS) would be present in support of our client. When supporters sit in during a hearing, it can calm the client’s nerves to have friendly faces in attendance during an anxiety-inducing situation. Also, demonstrated community support can inform an immigration judge how the public feels about a certain matter. From my conversation with Brian, I expected five-to-ten supporters. When we arrived, at least fifteen supporters were outside the courtroom, and more arrived as we waited. The OCSILiO staff was pleasantly surprised. The judge assigned to this client’s case was taken aback by the community presence in the courtroom and commented on record about the large demonstration. Our client appeared via video from the detention facility, so she unfortunately could not see the supporters in person. However, the camera did show the large crowd, which was hopefully comforting for her. The judge later terminated her proceedings, and she reunited with her son soon after.
A few weeks later, we attended a “master calendar hearing” - an initial hearing where the judge meets the parties and schedules future hearings. This hearing was for a young husband and father who had already filed for asylum several years prior, but was worried in the wake of all the news of ICE arrests at courthouses. When our client arrived at the courthouse, he brought family members and approximately ten supporters from his community. I spoke with several supporters who expressed their gratitude for organizations like OCSILiO who help clients. Even though they are not law professionals, these community supporters care deeply about individuals in immigration proceedings, and about due process. Brian commented that our client was grateful for the support from people who care about him. It was apparent that being surrounded by people he knew and felt comfortable around calmed his nerves.
The most recent court appearance we attended was supposed to be the final hearing for a client seeking asylum after fleeing hereditary enslavement. Our client, who speaks a dialect of Pulaar, arrived at the courthouse with Maryam, an OCSILiO partner with Ohio Immigrant Alliance who has interpreted for meetings between Brian and our client. Maryam speaks the same dialect of Pulaar as our client, and she has donated much of her time to interpret for us. Our client spoke little English, but he could say and understand several words and phrases in English with the OCSILiO team. I could tell he felt more comfortable and confident around the interpreter, someone who speaks his first language and who he had gotten to know in the recent months.
Immigration courts contract with large corporations to provide interpreters for hearings, so Maryam was not the official court interpreter for our trial. The court-appointed Pulaar interpreter appeared via video, and from the very beginning there were signs of miscommunication. Even when two individuals speak the same language, much can be lost if those two speak different dialects. Brian mentioned that the court had appointed this specific interpreter to a prior hearing with this client, and they had experienced difficulties with interpretation even then. When I sat in during conversations between Brian and our client with the help of Maryam’s interpretation, there were almost no difficulties in understanding and communication through interpretation. However, during the hearing, our client’s responses through the interpreter did not exactly answer the questions that the judge and Brian asked him. It took roughly fifteen minutes to get through the asylum application confirmation, a process that usually takes no more than five. I sat next to Maryam in the gallery, and I noticed she took thorough notes when both our client and the interpreter spoke.
When we adjourned for a ten-minute break, Maryam communicated to Brian that the interpretation was not precise. According to her, much of what our client was testifying was not appropriately conveyed in English by the interpreter. This is not to suggest malfeasance by the interpreter. Pulaar dialects are distinct, and this was a serious concern especially since no one other than Maryam knew exactly what was being said by both the interpreter and our client in Pulaar. Brian raised this concern to the judge and opposing counsel, and thankfully both were amenable to adjourning the hearing and finding another interpreter. Although it was not a bad outcome, the OCSILiO team spent weeks preparing for this hearing only for it to be postponed seven months. Even so, thanks to Maryam’s help, our client’s testimony was not misconstrued.
In these instances, I am grateful for the support OCSILiO clients receive. The entire team works incredibly hard to provide representation to clients in the ever-changing world of immigration law. Community partners from AMIS and Ohio Immigrant Alliance are invaluable to nonprofit groups. It is uplifting to know there are other like-minding folks out there who are dedicated to immigrant rights. Organizations with similar goals lean on each other for assistance because they know that every little bit helps.
When I am surrounded by community in this work, it is impossible to not think of those who navigate the immigration proceedings alone. How many people attend a master calendar hearing by themselves? How many people feel scared in immigration proceedings but have no one to assist them? How many people experience interpretation issues? How many people speak a rare language or dialect and unknowingly have their testimonies misrepresented? Unfortunately, those numbers are higher than we can imagine. As of June 2025, TRAC Reports found that in all immigration cases in the United States where removal was ordered, only 25.2% had representation (New Proceedings Filed in Immigration Court, accessed August 7, 2025). In Ohio, only 20.4% were represented. These numbers are harsh reminders that many individuals face a complex immigration court system alone, and most speak a \language other than English. In my time with OCSILiO, I have seen how complicated immigration court is and how easy it is to get lost in the applications, filing fees, paperwork, online portals, ICE check-ins, and court appearances. With the work of OCSILiO and partner organizations, fewer people are left to face this harsh system alone.
