DALLAS – Human Rights Initiative of North Texas (HRI) is honoring this year’s prestigious Angel of Freedom award winners, at its annual storytelling event, Stories Form the HeART: Rock Your HeART Out. HRI’s annual Angel of Freedom award, celebrates the unsung heroes of human rights work in Dallas. This year’s awardees are Dora Dowell, a […]
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Gratitude: Featuring Stephanie Mistry
In May, HRI celebrated a win for one of our affirmative asylum clients, a young woman from Zimbabwe who had fled her home country due to political persecution by the Zimbabwean government. She was represented by Stephanie Mistry, one of HRI’s stellar pro bono attorneys. Stephanie has been volunteering with HRI since 2009. Over the years, she […]
Read More72 Years of Human Rights Day; 20 Years of HRI
A LETTER FROM HRI’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BILL HOLSTON December 10 is Human Rights Day. It celebrates the day when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. The very first article is: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards […]
Read MoreCarolina Wins Asylum!
HRI recently won the cases of a 23-year-old Salvadoran woman and her 4-year-old daughter who sought asylum from severe domestic violence. Carolina began living with her partner when she was only 15, and the abuse started shortly thereafter. He abused her physically, emotionally, financially, and sexually, including when she was pregnant. She attempted to leave […]
Read MoreIt’s a Process
Jackie + Frank VAWA is a federal law meant to protect undocumented immigrant survivors of domestic abuse by allowing them to apply for immigration relief without the assistance of their abusive spouse. Jackie’s ex-husband, Frank, abused her physically, sexually, verbally, and psychologically for nearly 20 years. Jackie was born in Mexico, but moved to […]
Read MoreHRI Success Story: Client Granted Asylum
An asylum-seeker from Eritrea and a member of her family were granted asylum yesterday by a Dallas Immigrant Court Judge. The woman was accused by the Eritrean government of assisting people escape the country by providing them with travel documents (she worked at a place that printed and packed travel documents). Later, she was accused […]
Read MoreHRI Success Story: Attorneys at Vinson & Elkins Help Win Withholding of Removal for a Cameroonian Nurse
A Dallas Immigration Judge granted our client Withholding of Removal, which means she can live safely in the United States. The client, a registered and reproductive health nurse, is originally from Cameroon. In 2004, the client, along with other students, protested the recent dramatic increase in education fees. The police opposed their demonstration and she […]
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