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" I am an immigrant, and a lot of my family immigrated to the United States as political refugees. Working on a case

like this is especially important to me because I am intimately familiar with how hard it can be to leave your home
country and start life all over in a new place where you don’t speak the language, don’t know the customs, and don’t
have much of a support system in place.”

Joanna Hill
ASSOCIATE, LOS ANGELES
In another Cuban refugee case, a team from Katten helped a
woman persecuted for her common-law husband’s journalism
work with the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and
Press.

Former associate Zachary Denver won an appeal with the
Board of Immigration Appeals in September 2020 on behalf
of the woman, who had fled to the United States because she
was deemed to be in opposition to the Cuban government.
Her husband fled Cuba in March 2019 after being arbitrarily

Cuban Refugees Flee Persecution detained by the Cuban government. When her husband failed
to appear after receiving a summons, probation agents from the
for Refusing to Spy and Free national revolutionary police and investigative technical depart-
Expression Activities ment brought her in to be interrogated by two police officers.

In a separate political persecution case, Litigation associate After being threatened and raped by officers, the woman fled
Joanna Hill and partner David Halberstadter took up the Cuba in July 2019, fearing that she would be killed or end up
case of a Cuban couple denied asylum despite being harassed in prison. Her initial application for asylum wasn’t deemed
and beaten by police for refusing to spy on their neighbors. credible. Katten took up the case at this point, claimed
ineffective prior assistance of counsel, and revived the case.
The case from Lawyers for Good Government involved an
The client’s petition continued to progress, with the filing
asylum denial appeal for the refugees, who were living in
of a new petition, and additional arguments and a closing.
Mexico at the time. The wife suffered a miscarriage from the
Ultimately, these efforts by Zachary Denver, Zachary Beal
police beating, after trying to get pregnant for seven years.
and Chase Galerman, persuaded the immigration judge, who
She was hospitalized while her husband also required medical
granted the client asylum in January 2021.
treatment.
At their initial immigration hearing, an immigration judge did “ We deeply valued the opportunity
not find the wife’s testimony credible and denied the couple’s to work on this asylum matter
request for asylum. Joanna drafted an appellate brief on
their behalf that sought reversal of the immigration judge’s and are grateful that we were
decision to deny asylum. In March 2021, the Board of able to contribute to achieving
Immigration Appeals (BIA) took the unusual step of rejecting asylum for our client. Devoting
the immigration judge’s credibility determination and
remanding the case for further proceedings. time and professional skills to pro
bono service is a hallmark of the
“I am an immigrant, and a lot of my family immigrated to the
United States as political refugees,” Joanna said. “Working legal profession that, in our opinion,
on a case like this is especially important to me because I am benefits the community, the attor-
intimately familiar with how hard it can be to leave your ney, and the firm,” Zachary Beal
home country and start life all over in a new place where you
don’t speak the language, don’t know the customs, and don’t and Chase said.
have much of a support system in place.”

KATTEN 2021 PRO BONO ANNUAL REVIEW 11
KATTEN 2021 PRO BONO ANNUAL REVIEW