Timothy Sanders

The Project

Timothy is increasing access to legal assistance for underserved noncitizens living in North and South Dakota through medical-legal partnerships, collaboration with pro bono attorneys, and community education.

Noncitizens living in North and South Dakota suffer from a lack of access to free legal assistance for their immigration needs. There are no organizations in either state that provide free legal representation for immigration matters. Compounding this problem is the fact that both North and South Dakota are within the jurisdiction of the Immigration Court in Bloomington, MN, over 200 miles away from either state.

Fellowship Highlights

In the past year, Tim has:

• Helped three ND-based women file for relief under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) after suffering abuse and extreme mental cruelty for many months at the hands of their US citizen husbands.
• Started partnering with two community health centers in and around Fargo, ND.
• Provided a comprehensive immigration-law policy update to all members of the Upper Midwest Healthcare Legal Partnership Learning Collaborative in December.
• Filed Motion to terminate removal proceedings for a Ghanaian woman living in Fargo, ND, which was recently approved; now helping her apply for citizenship.
• Provided community education and know your rights presentations to noncitizens in Sioux Falls and Flandreau, SD.
• Represented several individuals, both detained and non-detained, in their removal proceedings before the immigration court.

Next Steps

In the next year, Tim plans to:

• Explore possibilities for Fellowship project’s sustainability in both North and South Dakota.
• Take on his first case(s) from South Dakota.
• Increase pro bono engagement with his project through presentations, fellowship updates, and possible representation provided by pro bono attorneys.
• Continue to provide comprehensive immigration legal services to more and more individuals.

Media