PORT ANGELES — The attorney who challenged President Donald Trump’s travel ban, the executive director of the Northwest Immigration Rights Project and an award-winning immigration attorney will speak at a public panel Friday.
Noah Purcell, Jorge Barón and Ann Benson will present, “Protecting Legal Rights: Immigration Law in an Age of Uncertainty,” to benefit Clallam-Jefferson Pro Bono Lawyers.
The fundraiser will be open to the public, rather than the legal community alone, organizer Shauna Rogers McClain said.
The three immigration rights experts will speak at the Little Theater at Peninsula College, 1502 E. Lauridsen Ave., from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
250 seats available
About 250 seats are available, and admission is by a suggestion donation of $20 per person or $10 per student. Tickets will be sold at the door and in advance. To reserve a seat, visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3021790.
The board of Pro Bono Lawyers has asked the speakers to address current events. The challenge will be keeping it under two hours, board president Ariel Speser said.
“We felt like this is a very timely topic,” Speser said. “It’s on an area where the law is changing and evolving. We want to make sure we’re staying well-informed and up to date.”
Purcell recently felt the white-hot spotlight of national news when he challenged the Trump administration’s executive order on immigration. The order would have barred travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations.
In his role as solicitor general of Washington state, Purcell successfully argued against the travel ban before three judges from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in February.
On Friday, Purcell will explain how he prepared, strategized and made the decision to challenge.
Barón leads the NWIRP, a nonprofit that has provided low-cost legal services to immigrants and refugees for 30 years.
Cease-and-desist order
On April 5, the U.S. Department of Justice sent a cease-and-desist order to NWIRP, ordering the nonprofit to stop representing undocumented immigrants in deportation proceedings.
NWIRP challenged the order, suing Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
On May 17, district judge Richard A. Jones issued a preliminary injunction in favor of NWIRP.
A federal judge in Seattle said Monday that nonprofit local groups can keep assisting immigrants facing deportation
During the panel, Barón will discuss the cease-and-desist order and highlight the challenges in immigration court.
“..The cease and desist order threatened to preclude the significant number of immigrants in deportation proceedings from receiving any legal assistance in their cases,” he wrote in a press release.
Benson, who works for Washington Defenders Association, will speak more generally about access to justice, historic immigration policies and how immigration law impacts everyone, Speser said.
“At the end of the day, if you don’t have any direct relation to an undocumented person, you’re linked closer than you think,” Speser said, noting that undocumented immigrants are employed in a variety of industries.
Benson has won numerous awards for her work, including the Lexus/Nexus Danial Levy Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Immigration Law, the Friend of the Judiciary Award from the Washington Women Lawyers, a Distinguished Service Award from the Washington State Bar Association and the Golden Door Award from the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.
Speser emphasized the panel will not advocate a political affiliation.
“We want a respectful forum with information, learning and understanding on this complicated issue,” she said.
Reception planned
Prior to the panel, Bar members can attend a happy hour reception from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Purcell, Barón and Benson will answer questions following the presentations.
This will be the Clallam-Jefferson County Pro Bono Lawyers’ third fundraiser this year, Speser said. The pro bono lawyers provide legal assistance and drop-in clinics for low-income residents in Clallam and Jefferson counties.
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Reporter Sarah Sharp can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or at ssharp@peninsula dailynews.com.
