A Year in Review - 2015

ICYMI, we recently kicked off our 10 Year Anniversary Campaign! Every month until December, we will highlight a year in Beyond’s history. This month, we look back on 2015, Beyond Legal Aid’s (CALA back then) first full year of operation. 2015 was a year filled with memorable successes and victories, and we’ll touch on a few today.

One memorable success occurred when we received a call from a mother whose son had been detained. Immediately upon taking the case, we received a panicked phone call from the family who were desperately worried he had already been deported because they were denied the right to see or speak to him at the McHenry Detention Center. After hours spent tracking him down, Beyond learned that not only was he on the list of deportees for that day, but his flight had already taken off for Mexico without the right to a trial! Out of sheer desperation, we went first to the Immigration Court, who said they could not do anything, and then the Chicago ICE office. A Beyond attorney and an Enlace organizer used every strategy they knew—basically throwing a kitchen sink—and the sofa—of legal arguments and activist tactics for why our client was wrongfully deported and he should be returned to Chicago. It shockingly worked! We were eventually able to persuade ICE to stop his deportation mid-flight, landing the plane in Texas to bring him back to Chicago. 

Another powerful moment from 2015 was when we received an incredibly moving letter from one of the first community members whom we empowered to renew her DACA status. She offered some very kind thanks that reminded us of why we do our work, and for which we are extremely grateful. Here is the letter, when we worked with her to negotiate successfully with her employer, and she happily returned to work at a great job! Nearly a decade later, she is a legal permanent resident and will soon become a US citizen.

Keep an eye out for 2016’s highlight, another monumental year in Beyond’s history, coming next month! Be sure to also compare each month’s “Year in Review” graphic (below) to see how much we’ve grown over the years.