immigration.ablelaw.orgOhio Immigrant and Refugee Rights Center (OIRRC) - Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc.

Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. – Ohio Immigrant and Refugee Rights Center (OIRRC) HOME KNOW YOUR RIGHTS OUR IMPACT GET INVOLVED DONATE HOME KNOW YOUR RIGHTS OUR IMPACT GET INVOLVED DONATE Jessica's Story Losing a parent is difficult at any age, but it can be even harder when you are not a U.S. citizen. Jessica, her parents, and her two brothers moved to the U.S. when she was five years old. READ JESSICA'S STORY Pascal's Story Pascal is a 66-year-old man who originally came to the United States as a refugee from Burundi. Because of a learning disability made worse by living through Burundi’s ethnic warfare, Pascal was unable to learn to read or write in English. READ PASCAL'S STORY Juanita's Story Juanita has worked in the fields as a migrant farmworker since she was a child. During an outreach visit to her labor camp from an ABLE advocate, she learned about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. READ JUANITA'S STORY Gloria's Story After her police-officer husband was killed in the line of duty, Gloria had to find a way to provide for her family. She placed her children in her mother’s care and left El Salvador for work in the United States. READ GLORIA'S STORY Charles' Story Collaboration and coordination of legal expertise among ABLE attorneys and staff effectively met a number of needs for Charles, a homeless Cameroonian man with mental health issues. READ CHARLES' STORY Rosa's Story Born in Mexico, Rosa entered the United States as a young child, arriving in Toledo where she graduated from high school. She is now 24-years-old and was recently detained by the U.S. Border Patrol at a gas station in Toledo. READ ROSA'S STORY Vivienne’s Story Vivienne’s traffickers promised her a better-paying job and the chance to go to school in America. What they gave her when she arrived from Malawi was a brutal life of domestic servitude. READ VIVIENNE'S STORY Rob's Story Rob’s mother left him in the care of a relative and came to the United States from Jamaica to make a better life for herself and her son. Two years later, Rob joined his mother, who had become a U.S. citizen. At this time, Rob was 8-years-old, his parents had never married, and he never met his father. READ ROB'S STORY ABLE works to ensure the availability of quality immigration legal services to members of the northwest and west central Ohio communities who are seeking a better life. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS Our Statement on the Rights of ImmigrantsRefugees Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE) stands with other non-profit and legal services organizations, community groups, and concerned residents during this time of great concern for immigrants and refugees living in northwest and west central Ohio. Resources for legal services to low-income refugees and immigrants are nearly nonexistent in our 32-county service area. ABLE is the only provider of these services in northwest and west central Ohio. As lawyers and advocates who serve in the public interest, we remain committed to providing legal representation and legal counseling to vulnerable refugees and immigrants, working to protect their rights under our Constitution and laws. READ MORE Farmworker Chronicles Podcast Thousands of agricultural workers live in or migrate to Ohio to work in its number one industry, Agriculture. These workers are often an afterthought, stuck in the background, and the Farmworker Chronicles podcast aims to bring their stories to the forefront. Not of the people calling the shots but those who toil in the fields and harvest the food we eat, those who care for livestock and work in dairies. Co-hosts Gwen Short and Wendy Aviña want to know why they do this backbreaking work, how they got into the industry, and their hopes and dreams. They also seek to explore the dangers of these occupations and the history of worker protections in agriculture, especially those of farmworkers and foreign agricultural workers. Listen to the podcast on WGTE Public Media. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE News 03.14.18 New report finds immigrants play vital role in Ohio economy State and national philanthropy groups release data on Ohio’s immigrants; call for further resources Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE), in partnership with a group of philanthropy organizations, has released a new report, Our Pathway to a Brighter Future: Ohio’s New Americans, revealing that immigrants play a crucial role in Ohio’s economy and that […] Read More 04.24.17 Preparing Your Family for Immigration Enforcement Whether you are a U.S. citizen, come from a mixed status family, or have immigrant friends, neighbors or coworkers, now is the time for us to protect one another. There are small things you can do to help keep families together—Know Your Rights! And make sure everyone in our community know their rights too.Preparing […] Read More SEE ALL NEWS Copyright ©2020 Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. All Rights...