“I cannot hide my identity, and I cannot be anyone other than a transgender woman. It is who I am.”
On April 10, 2025, we received news that our client, Ms. X, won her immigration case.
Ms. X, a trans woman from the Caribbean, defies all stereotypes about what immigrants, survivors of torture, and marginalized clients are often assumed to be. The first time we met Ms. X, we were instantly charmed by her sense of humor, strong sense of self, and the very glamorous outtakes from a photoshoot of hers that she made sure to show us. While we, naturally, had to earn her trust, Ms. X approached our collaboration with patience and openness—despite being forced to relive her trauma for the sake of her immigration case.
As a clinical team of student attorneys, supervised by Jackie Pearce, Clinical Instructor in the Immigrant & Non-Citizens Rights Clinic, we felt an immense sense of responsibility to leave no stone unturned in Ms. X’s case. This meant engaging in extensive legal research, mental health and disability advocacy, country conditions research, transparent communication with Ms. X, holistic support with a social worker, and outreach to other practitioners for guidance.
Like most individuals disadvantaged by the criminal and immigration systems, Ms. X’s past non-violent convictions made her ineligible for asylum. She was, however, eligible for two other forms of relief: Withholding of Removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act and Deferral of Removal under the Convention Against Torture. Both forms of relief would serve to protect Ms. X from being sent to her country of origin if the immigration judge found that she would more likely than not face persecution or be tortured if deported on account of her transgender identity.
Ms. X’s prior convictions posed a challenge in winning Withholding of Removal, as the government had argued they were “particularly serious crimes.” But, as her representatives, we remained hopeful and zealously advocated for our client’s best interests. We dedicated enormous amounts of time and energy to researching and presenting legal arguments to the Court. On the day of the hearing, we were nervous to litigate as law students, but we were determined to give Ms. X a fighting chance. Over the course of a six-hour hearing, we intensely advocated for our client by winning objections, taking testimony, defending on cross, and delivering an on-the-spot closing argument.
Two months after the trial—and after incredible dedication and resilience from Ms. X, hours of trial prep, and invaluable mentorship from our supervisor—we were thrilled to win a grant of Withholding of Removal for Ms. X. Through tears, we called her to share the good news. She was overjoyed, in disbelief, and wanted to immediately call her loved ones.
Though being an immigrant in this political moment—especially as a Black trans woman—brings incredible uncertainty, Ms. X is empowered by this win and ready to move toward a future of healing, connection, and joy. Violence has been the only constant in Ms. X’s life, and relief for her means she can finally escape the pain and fear of being removed to a country that will not accept her. Ms. X can finally walk out in the streets with her head held high and not be afraid of being attacked. Most importantly, she can live as her authentic self.