Kramer Levin Obtains Asylum for Pro Bono Client

Kramer Levin recently obtained a grant of asylum for a Jamaican man who was persecuted and severely abused by his family, peers, community, and the police, and then fired from his job, because he is gay. The client was referred by Kramer Levin pro bono partner Peter Cicchino Youth Project after he had waited for over a year for an asylum interview following the submission of his application to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). Because the Immigration and Nationality Act typically requires that an interview or hearing be scheduled within 45 days of an alien's application for asylum, Kramer Levin filed a mandamus petition in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York seeking an order compelling USCIS to immediately schedule our client's interview and thereafter timely adjudicate his application. USCIS scheduled an interview within weeks, and Kramer Levin was able to dismiss the complaint and successfully represent the client at his interview. The Kramer Levin team included Litigation associate Kurt M. Denk, with assistance by Litigation associates Catherine Hoge and Harold Robinson and Corporate associate Joel Pietrzak, and paralegals Santo Cipolla and Josh Trachtenberg. Litigation partner Jeffrey S. Trachtman and Intellectual Property special counsel Aaron M. Frankel supervised the matter.