Asylum Initiative
MassMutual volunteers help asylum seekers, who are frequently the victims of persecution and violence in their home countries, apply for asylum so that they may remain safely in the United States.
Since 2016, MassMutual has partnered with the Boston-based Political Asylum/ Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project to represent asylum seekers escaping persecution and violence in their home countries.
PAIR is a Boston-based non-profit dedicated to providing free legal services and legal orientation to asylum-seekers and immigrants being detained by the immigration service, mainly through its robust pro bono panel. Formed in 1989, PAIR is devoted to providing justice, hope, and safety to survivors of unimaginable horrors who have fled their country and come to the U.S. for a safe haven.
Throughout the past eight years, volunteers from MassMutual have represented 18 clients referred by PAIR. Their work includes:
- Preparation of client, witness and expert affidavits;
- Representation of victims at immigration interviews; and
- Ongoing representation of asylum seekers in post-grant proceedings, such as applying for green cards.
MassMutual lawyers and staff handle each stage of the application process. This includes many hours of meticulous work, such as interviewing the client, drafting the client’s affidavit, reviewing medical and police reports, gathering personal statements from the client’s relatives, meeting with expert witnesses, and preparing for asylum office interviews. PAIR provides essential guidance and assistance to the pro bono volunteers throughout the process and is an integral part of each application, providing updates in changes to law or process, mentorship, and substantive legal support.
Since its inception in 2016, the partnership has obtained asylum for twelve individuals who fled persecution and violence in their home countries, seeking to create a new life for themselves and their families in the U.S.