Daniela Donoso

The Project

Daniela worked to create a comprehensive immigration advocacy program in North Florida to serve immigrants who are low-income and/or crime victims.

The Florida panhandle has a very large agricultural and tourism presence, two industries that draw immigrants in vast numbers. North Florida, however, lacked the institutional memory of a central advocacy organization doing the hard work of outreach to both immigrant communities and service agencies. There was a great need for both free legal help for low-income immigrants and trainings for agencies serving this population.

Daniela, a DACA recipient, knows what it is like to have your life shifted by fear and uncertainty because of the broken immigration system. Her personal and professional experience working with marginalized communities instilled an altruistic spirit that made her uniquely suited for this Fellowship.

Fellowship Highlights

During the two-year Fellowship, Daniela:

• Provided full representation to over 30 immigrant clients and brief services, advice and/or referrals to more than 130 additional individuals
• Conducted Legal Services of North Florida (LSNF)’s first immigration legal clinic in Tallahassee
• Created and developed a shared resource bank of cover letters, sample statements, and attorney checklists for common immigration petitions for all five LSNF offices
• Collaborated with local advocacy organizations to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccine for the immigrant community in Tallahassee
• Executed a pro se Afghan Legal Assistance Project for Temporary Protective Services in partnership with the FSU Law Immigration Clinic and International Rescue Committee, serving 22 families at one clinic
• Secured a conditional presence interview with DHS for a labor trafficking survivor
• Provided 16 community education and outreach presentations, reaching over 450 community members
• Delivered 40 presentations to other service providers, allies, and LSNF attorneys
• Collaborated with over 60 groups and attended nearly 200 coalition-building meetings to expand reach and impact of the project

Next Steps

Daniela will remain at Legal Services of North Florida as an immigration staff attorney. She will continue to execute the vision of her fellowship to create a comprehensive immigration advocacy program in North Florida to serve immigrants who are low income and/or crime victims and establish immigration protocols, procedures, and resources for Legal Services of North Florida staff and community partners.

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