PASSION OF JOURNALISM.
FORT MCCOY IS ONE OF THE LAST
BASES OPEN, AND OFFICIALS ARE
HOPING TO HAVE EVERYONE
RESETTLED BY THE END OF
FEBRUARY.
THE UW LAW SCHOOL IMMIGRANT
JUSTICE CLINIC HAS BEEN WORKING
WITH REFUGEES THERE OVER THE
MONTHS SINCE THEIR ARRIVAL.
PROFESSOR ERIN BARBATO DIRECTS
THE CLINIC, AND SHE JOINS US
NOW.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO AS POINTED TO IN MARISA'S
REPORTING, HOW COMPLICATED IS
THE LEGAL PROCESS FOR AFGHAN
REFUGEES AIRLIFTED HERE?
>> IT'S INCREDIBLY COMPLICATED
AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK
WAS SURPRISING TO EVERYONE AS WE
STARTED NAVIGATING THE SYSTEM
AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO
PROVIDE LEGAL RESOURCES TO THE
PEOPLE THAT ARRIVED, BECAUSE
BEFORE THEY ARRIVED, WE THOUGHT
MANY OF THEM WOULD BE GOING
THROUGH THE PROCESS OF APPLYING
FOR SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISA AND
NOW THEY'VE LOOKING THAT A
MAJORITY OF THEM WILL BE GOING
THROUGH THE ASYLUM PROCESS.
>> SO WHAT IS MOSTLY THE CURRENT
LEGAL STATUS OF PEOPLE NOW IN
WISCONSIN, IF YOU KNOW?
>> MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT CAME
OVER FROM AFGHANISTAN THAT DID
NOT ALREADY HAVE AN IMMIGRANT
VISA OR WERE U.S. CITIZENS OR A
SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISA, THEY
WERE ADMITTED IN SOMETHING
CALLED PAROLE STATUS, THAT THE
GOVERNMENT HAS THE ABILITY TO
ADMIT PEOPLE INTO THE UNITED
STATES FOR HUMANITARIAN REASONS.
SO THAT'S HOW MANY OF THE PEOPLE
ARRIVED AND ARE NOW LIVING IN
THAT STATUS WHILE THEY SEEK THE
NEXT STEPS TO HAVE A PATHWAY TO
CITIZENSHIP HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES.
>> WHAT IS YOUR CLINIC DOING NOW
FOR AFGHAN REFUGEES AT FORT
MCCOY?
>> AT FORT MCCOY, WE'RE NOT
WORKING THERE ANYMORE, THINGS
ARE COMING TO A CLOSE THERE, BUT
WE ARE STARTING TO PROVIDE LEGAL
SERVICES TO AFGHANS WHO ARE
LIVING IN THE COMMUNITY AND
SEEKING ASYLUM, OR IN THE
PROCESS OF DEPORTATION, SO WE'RE
HOPING TO PROVIDE REPRESENTATION
TO A NUMBER OF FAMILIES AND
INDIVIDUALS, BUT THERE ARE NOT
ENOUGH RESOURCES AT THE
IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CLINIC AND
REALLY HOPING TO CREATE MORE
COMMUNITY EFFORT WITH OTHER
NGOs IN THE STATE.
>> IS IT TRUE THAT PEOPLE COULD
BE SENT BACK TO AFGHANISTAN IF
THEY DON'T COMPLETE THE ASYLUM
APPLICATION PROCESS IN TIME?
>> IT IS A POSSIBILITY.
NORMALLY WHEN SOMEONE IS
APPLYING FOR ASYLUM, THEY NEED
TO APPLY WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR
OF ARRIVING IN THE UNITED
STATES.
THERE ARE SOME EXCEPTIONS TO
THAT, AND IT LOOKS LIKE THERE
MAY BE AN EXCEPTION APPLIED IN
THIS CASE BECAUSE EVERYBODY --
MOST PEOPLE ARRIVE WITH PAROLE
HAVE TWO YEARS OF STATUS AS
PAROLEES BEFORE THEIR LAWFUL
STATUS WOULD BE TERMINATED.
SO THEY MAY HAVE A LITTLE BIT
MORE TIME TO APPLY.
BUT IF YOU DON'T APPLY AND YOU
FALL OUT OF STATUS, YOU MAY BE
FACING DEPORTATION.
>> IN FACT, JUST A MINUTE AGO,
YOU SPOKE TO SOME OF THE PEOPLE
IN THE DEPORTATION PROCESS.
HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN TO SOMEONE?
>> SOME PEOPLE CAN BE PLACED IN
THE DEPORTATION PROCESS BECAUSE
THEY ARE CONVICTED OF SOMETHING
OR THEY'VE DONE SOMETHING THAT
MAKES THEM DEPORTABLE AND THEY
HAVE TO GO IN FRONT OF A JUDGE.
MOST OF THEM ARE GOING THROUGH
THE ASYLUM PROCESS, SO THROUGH
IMMIGRATION SERVICES WHICH IS
NOT IN FRONT OF AN IMMIGRATION
JUDGE BUT IF THEY'RE NOT
SUCCESSFUL AT OBTAINING ASYLUM
THEY WILL THEN BE IN FRONT OF A
JUDGE FOR KIND OF THEIR LAST
CHANCE.
>> BACKING UP A LITTLE BIT,
SINCE EVERYONE WHO WAS BROUGHT
HERE ALREADY WENT THROUGH
BACKGROUND CHECKS, COULDN'T
CONGRESS JUST PASS A BILL SAYING
THAT PEOPLE WHO WERE EMERGENCY
EVACUATED AUTOMATICALLY GET
ASYLUM?
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE SPECIFICALLY
WITH THIS SITUATION, WE'RE
HOPING THERE WOULD BE SOMETHING
CALLED LIKE AN AFGHAN ADJUSTMENT
ACT, BUT WE'VE HAD IT BEFORE
WITH THE CUBAN ADJUSTMENT ACT,
WHICH WILL ALLOW EVERYBODY WHO
CAME IN THIS EMERGENT SITUATION
TO HAVE AN EXPEDITED MANNER TO
OBTAIN THEIR LAWFUL PERMANENT
RESIDENT STATUS AND THEN HAVE A
PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP.
BUT SO FAR IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE
THERE HAS BEEN MUCH MOVEMENT IN
OUR CONGRESS TO MAKE THIS
HAPPEN.
>> MARISA, IN HER STORY ALSO,
SPOKE TO THE TRAUMA OF WHAT
HAPPENED TO THESE FOLKS AND HOW
THEY LANDED IN WISCONSIN.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM PEOPLE
WHEN YOU WERE WORKING WITH THEM
AT FORT MCCOY ABOUT THAT TRAUMA
AND HOW THEY'RE ABLE TO KIND OF
MOVE THROUGH THAT?
>> SO WE WORK WITH A LOT OF
PEOPLE WHO ARE SEEKING ASYLUM
FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A
NUMBER OF YEARS NOW, AND THE
STORIES ARE VERY SIMILAR.
THIS IS A PARTICULARLY TRAUMATIC
SITUATION WHERE PEOPLE WERE
EVACUATED WITHOUT MUCH TIME TO
PREPARE, WHICH IS COMMON IN AT
SIGH LUM, BUT ASYLUM, BUT THEY O
LOCATIONS THEY'VE NEVER KNOWN
BEFORE.
SO THE TRAUMA IS SOMETHING
PEOPLE ARE REALLY GOING TO NEED
RESOURCES TO DEAL WITH AND TO
HEAL FROM, AND HOPING THAT WE
CAN PROVIDE THAT AS A COUNTRY TO
THESE PEOPLE FROM AFGHANISTAN.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WELL, PROFESSOR, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR WO
WORK.
>> THANK YOU AGAIN FOR HAVING ME
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON
THIS.
>> THESE SEGMENTS ARE PART OF A
PBS WISCONSIN WPRWISCONTEXT
COLLABORATION, UTILIZING
REPORTING, RESEARCH AND
COMMUNITY-BASED EXPERTISE TO
PROVIDE INFORMATION AND INSIGHT
ABOUT ISSUES THAT AFFECT
WISCONSIN.
LOOK FOR A FULL PRESENTATION OF
THIS PARTNERSHIP REPORTING
ONLINE THIS COMING MONDAY
MORNING, AND HEAR FROM THE
JOURNALISTS ON CENTRAL TIME ON
THE IDEAS NETWORK MONDAY