Callen Lowell

The Project

Callen (they/them/theirs) represented low-income immigrants in New York City who were entangled in the immigration and criminal legal systems on workers’ rights and related immigration issues through direct representation, systemic litigation, and policy reform.

Immigrant workers in low-wage and informal jobs in New York City face exploitative working conditions with little recourse. For immigrant workers who are also entangled in the immigration and/or criminal legal systems (“crimmigration systems”), the consequences are dire: deadly workplace conditions, discrimination, wage theft, financial instability due to job loss, and the ever-looming threat of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

While NYC law affords workers many protections, low-wage immigrant workers are unable to enforce these rights without legal representation, and fear of repercussions often prevents immigrant workers from asserting their rights. When these workers are arrested, even when charges are dismissed, immigration and workplace consequences may remain. Located within a public defense office, the project provided representation for low-wage immigrant workers entangled in the immigration systems who are otherwise isolated and hard to reach.

Fellowship Highlights

During the two-year Fellowship, Callen:

• Represented immigrant workers at Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS) involved in the immigration and criminal legal systems on issues of worker safety, paid leave, wage theft, and discrimination
• Provided administrative agency enforcement, litigation, arbitration, and mediation
• Worked with BDS’s immigration practice to file U and T Visa applications for clients whose work conditions made them eligible for this form of immigration relief
• Created materials to educate attorneys working within the immigration and criminal legal systems about common workers’ rights claims their clients may have

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