Colleen Coyle and Sofia Luiña
In October 2005, Tahirih presented Colleen Coyle at Akin Gump with an emergency case involving the victim of a crime—Annie*—who was in removal proceedings in Texas, even though the client had since moved to Virginia. Colleen sought assistance from Akin Gump’s San Antonio office and from her colleague, Sofia Luiña. Sofia had previously represented another Tahirih client and her compassion, interest in the issues and her language abilities were vital to representing Annie’s case.
The very first meeting we had with Annie was heart wrenching for us and very difficult for her. We were total strangers, whom she did not choose, asking her to tell us the most personal details of her family life and of her attack. It was incredibly painful for her and for her husband, who listened again to the tragic story of his young wife, who is also a mother. By the end of the meeting, when Annie hugged us and thanked us again and again, we had decided that she had put her blind trust in us and that we were not going to let her down. We wanted to help her in every way possible, legally, personally and emotionally.
First, Annie’s husband had been diagnosed with a terminal disease and believed he could not get medical care because he lacked financial resources. We were able to look into treatment for him through free medical centers, his own insurance, and other subsidies available for people in his position. Second, Annie’s two young children were still in El Salvador with neighbors and had been receiving death threats from the men who attacked her. We were able to work through the immigration issues involved in bringing the children to the United States. Third, Annie was deeply depressed and in need of help. We were able to find a counselor to assist her near her home. Finally, Annie needed U-Visa interim relief, which of course, is what we agreed to do for her in the first place. This turned out to be the least complicated aspect of her situation. Tahirih was amazing! The staff guided us through every step of the way, enabling this process to flow as seamlessly as possible under the circumstances.
We are very privileged to work in a law firm that not only supports this type of work, but expects its attorneys to do it and to do it well. With Tahirih’s and Akin Gump’s fabulous support, we were able to ensure that Annie would stay in the United States, her husband’s disease would be in remission and their children would join them in Virginia so they can live as a family again. This did not require a tremendous effort on our part, but truly made all the difference in this family’s life and in their view of lawyers, Americans and the United States. It is a great privilege to be able to participate in a meaningful manner in the lives of other people.
*Name has been changed to protect privacy.
