Jenny Regier

The Project

Jenny coordinated a medical-legal partnership to improve health and legal outcomes for medically vulnerable women and gender minorities in immigration detention in Aurora, Colorado.

While the conditions at immigration detention facilities are difficult for everyone, they can be particularly devastating for gender minorities and women. Domestic and sexual violence survivors face the physical and mental effects of their trauma with limited support, and transgender people contend with extended periods of damaging solitary confinement. Not only do detention conditions affect health, but health concerns aggravated by incarceration prevent women and gender minorities from successfully advocating for themselves in their immigration cases.

Fellowship Highlights

During the two-year Fellowship, Jenny:

• Provided robust direct representation for and together with medically vulnerable individuals in detention, including 16 medical advocacy cases, 19 cases seeking release from detention, and 15 partial or full removal defense cases
• Won release from detention for and together with eight medically vulnerable individuals with the support of declarations from volunteer medical professionals
• Presented an oral abstract with coauthors at the 2022 North American Refugee Health Conference
• Advocated to end detention for trans and HIV+ individuals in coalition with other organizations serving vulnerable individuals in immigration detention
• Collaborated with over 25 groups to expand reach and impact of the project

Next Steps

Jenny is staying on at the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network in the role of Pro Bono Coordinating Attorney. She will continue to grow the medical-legal partnership and train more pro bono attorneys to defend against deportation and advocate for better health care in detention. RMIAN’s medical advocacy work will be amplified manyfold through ongoing trainings with and mentorship of pro bono attorneys representing detained clients and collaborative advocacy efforts. Through this medical advocacy work, RMIAN, RMIAN clients, and RMIAN partners will continue to fight to end the use of detention in immigration proceedings.

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