Kramer Levin received the Hon. Vito J. Titone Award from Staten Island Legal Services (SILS), presented at the Eighth Annual Hon. Vito J. Titone Awards Luncheon, held virtually, on Sept. 25. The firm was recognized for its work with SILS on an impact litigation project to benefit L’Unicorns, the first Latinx LGBTQ group on Staten Island. The annual awards celebrate individuals and programs that improve the quality of life for all Staten Island residents. Kramer Levin was recognized for its work with SILS on an impact litigation project to benefit L’Unicorns, the first Latinx LGBTQ group on Staten Island. SILS filed asylum applications for the original founding members of L’Unicorns prior to January 2018. In January 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) changed its policies regarding the scheduling of affirmative asylum applications, giving interviews only to applicants who recently filed claims for asylum. Under this policy, the L'Unicorns and tens of thousands of other applicants are stuck in a backlog and will wait indefinitely for a chance to have their claims adjudicated. In response to this policy, Kramer Levin filed a mandamus action in federal court to force USCIS to schedule interviews for the L’Unicorns. Kramer Levin filed a similar suit in partnership with Immigration Equality, which resulted in its clients receiving interviews and, ultimately, asylum. Intellectual Property partner Aaron Frankel, associates Samantha Ford and Michelle Ben David, and paralegal Santo Cipolla are working on this case.
The event can be viewed here.