Minnesota Habeas Project
Who we are
The Minnesota Habeas Project is a collective that includes nonprofit legal service providers, law school clinics, and volunteer attorneys that assist unlawfully detained immigrants by connecting them to pro bono lawyers who can file habeas corpus petitions for them in federal court seeking their release from immigration detention. These efforts are co-led by the University of Minnesota Law School’s Binger Center for New Americans, The Advocates for Human Rights, and National Immigration Project. To learn more about habeas corpus petitions, read our fact sheet What you should know about habeas corpus petitions.
Who we can help
Individuals who are unlawfully detained in immigration custody and who were living in or are currently detained in Minnesota.
How to request a pro bono lawyer from the Minnesota Habeas Project
People seeking a pro bono habeas lawyer for someone currently in immigration detention can complete:
After the Form is submitted, the Project will assess the case to determine if we can place the case with a pro bono habeas lawyer. Completing the intake Form does not guarantee that the Minnesota Habeas Project will be able to accept the case. The Project currently considers four types of cases:
- People who do not have a final removal order who are being held in immigration detention without access to a bond hearing;
- People who were on an Order of Supervision when ICE detained them;
- Young people with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status or who have been classified as “Unaccompanied Children”; and
- Refugees who do not yet have a green card.
What information do I need to fill out the intake form?
It’s okay if you don’t know everything, but this information helps us find a lawyer faster:
- Where the person is detained (you can sometimes find this by checking here)
- The name and contact information of someone who has the detained person’s permission to talk to people about their case
- The person’s name, date of birth, A number, and what country they are from
- When the person was detained and a description of the arrest, including whether they were shown any documents
- Why you believe their arrest and detention is illegal
- How and where the person entered the U.S., including whether they were detained at the border
- Their immigration status and the status of their immigration case (you can check their case here)
- Past interactions with law enforcement and immigration enforcement
- Info about any past immigration bond hearings