Desmarais LLP won an important victory in a recent pro bono case that secured asylum for a transgender man who fled to the U.S. after facing persecution in Ghana.
On April 12, 2022, a federal immigration judge granted the asylum request for the firm’s client. Though the firm took the case in 2017, several continuances resulted in a five-year wait before the court hearing took place. At the hearing, the government acknowledged that the client’s case was meticulously documented and had merit, stating it would not oppose asylum nor object to any of the evidence. Still, the judge asked the client to testify about his fear of returning to Ghana and the steps he had taken to secure work and become a productive member of society in the U.S. Jennifer Przybylski, an associate at Desmarais LLP, handled the direct examination, and after listening to the testimony, the judge immediately granted asylum. The government also waived its right to appeal.
The Desmarais LLP team handling the case included partner Peter Magic and associates Jennifer Przybylski and Frederick Ding.
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