Maura Tracy

The Project

Maura’s Fellowship provided trauma-informed immigration legal representation to immigrant youth survivors of gender- based violence and trafficking in a setting that specializes in holistic youth development services in New York City.

Thousands of immigrant youth arrive in New York City after experiencing violence, poverty, and abuse. Almost half of the unaccompanied children in New York City do not have lawyers to represent them in Immigration Court. Many of these young people are girls and LGBTQ+ youth fleeing gender-based violence and trafficking in their home countries. Immigrant youth also continue to experience gender-based violence and other difficulties in the United States. As a result of their current and past traumas, immigrant youth survivors have complex legal and social service needs. Through Maura’s Fellowship  project, The Door is the only organization in New York City providing immigration legal services for young people who are survivors of gender-based violence in a setting that is youth-focused and offers wraparound social services.

Maura’s experience in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps after college sparked her passion for working with immigrants. She is dedicated to accompanying immigrant youth on their journeys to safety and better futures in the U.S.

Fellowship Highlights

During the two-year Fellowship, Maura:

• Provided trauma-informed immigration legal representation to 35 youth survivors of gender-based violence and trafficking in Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Asylum, U Visa, and T Visa cases
• Represented young people in guardianship and special findings proceedings before New York State Family Courts, helping them achieve stability and safety with the support of their guardians
• Worked closely with social workers on an interdisciplinary team to connect immigrant youth survivors of gender-based violence and trafficking to comprehensive social services at The Door and beyond
• Developed and implemented a trafficking screening tool for The Door’s legal department to use when working with young people who are potentially survivors of trafficking to assess T Visa eligibility and social service needs
• Established partnerships with other service providers in New York City working with young people and survivors of trafficking to coordinate referrals and organize training

Next Steps

Maura will continue to work with immigrant youth at The Door’s legal services center as a staff attorney in the Detained Minors Project. She will represent unaccompanied children who are detained in or recently released from Office of Refugee Resettlement shelters.

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