Danicole Ramos

The Project

Danicole will provide compassionate legal services and advocacy for noncitizen veterans who served in the United States military.

Foreign-born residents comprise nearly a quarter of Hawai‘i’s population of 1.4 million and include an estimated 40,000 undocumented residents and 106,000 veterans. Yet, only eight lawyers statewide provide free or low-cost immigration legal services to immigrant communities. In Hawai‘i, two of the largest immigrant communities are the Filipino and Pacific Islander communities. Noncitizen veterans from these communities can end up in removal proceedings and be removed despite being eligible to naturalize earlier. Many failed to naturalize because they did not understand the process.

Danicole’s immigrant heritage and service to the United States military inspire his commitment to serve the immigrants who served this country.

Fellowship Plans

During his Fellowship, Danicole will help noncitizen veterans navigate the naturalization process and represent them in removal proceedings. He will also collaborate with veteran organizations to ensure noncitizen veterans are aware of the immigration benefits to which they are entitled. Finally, Danicole will develop a policy report and advocate at the state and federal level about issues impacting noncitizen veterans in Hawai‘i.