Alex Romero

The Project

Alex provided direct legal representation to address the immediate legal needs of undocumented youth in rural Washington.

Many undocumented immigrants in the United States face insurmountable barriers. However, cruel immigration policies and a global pandemic make circumstances even worse. The fear of being ripped apart from one’s family, friends, and home hovers over this vulnerable community. Immigrant youth in rural areas are exceptionally vulnerable because of limited resources, endured trauma, and other factors that exacerbate their immediate legal needs. In many areas of North-Central Washington, undocumented youth can slip through the cracks because of the lack of free immigration legal services.

Alex’s family immigrated to this country over 27 years ago. His worst nightmare became a reality when his dad was deported. Growing up, he saw first-hand how his parents were denied rights because of their lack of immigration status. This ignited a passion in Alex, at ten years of age, to advocate alongside the immigrant community.

Fellowship Highlights

During the two-year Fellowship, Alex:

• Provided full representation to clients on their immigration matters, including pursuing Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, asylum, and U visas
• Maintained a caseload of direct representation to 90 clients primarily consisting of undocumented youth
• Provided legal advice or brief legal services to 98 undocumented youth
• Filed 17 petitions for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status for youth in immigration removal proceedings
• Filed 26 Applications to Register for Permanent Residency and thus far received nine Permanent Residency cards
• Participated in a recorded discussion regarding current DACA trends with local community leaders in Spanish
• Consolidated training materials for local county rules that will serve as templates for future pro bono attorneys and partners

Next Steps

Alex will remain at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project as a staff attorney where he will continue to provide direct legal representation to immigrant communities in Washington.

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