Chicago Immigration Lawyers Help Refugees In Lesbos

Shadows of children are cast on a tent bearing graffiti at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Wednesday, May 4, 2016. European Union countries that refuse to accept refugees under proposals to overhaul the EU’s failed asylum laws could face large fines for each asylum seeker rejected.
Shadows of children are cast on a tent bearing graffiti at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni. European Union countries that refuse to accept refugees under proposals to overhaul the EU's failed asylum laws could face large fines for each asylum seeker rejected. Gregorio Borgia / AP Photo
Shadows of children are cast on a tent bearing graffiti at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Wednesday, May 4, 2016. European Union countries that refuse to accept refugees under proposals to overhaul the EU’s failed asylum laws could face large fines for each asylum seeker rejected.
Shadows of children are cast on a tent bearing graffiti at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni. European Union countries that refuse to accept refugees under proposals to overhaul the EU's failed asylum laws could face large fines for each asylum seeker rejected. Gregorio Borgia / AP Photo

Chicago Immigration Lawyers Help Refugees In Lesbos

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When two Chicago immigration attorneys went to the Greek island of Lesbos to help asylum seekers process their claims, they found striking similarities to their work here in the U.S.

Asylum seekers in both places feel their cases marked by ambiguity and the result of arbitrary decision making. Frustration abounds, even in cases where a person’s asylum status appears clear cut. 

We hear stories from Lesbos and discuss how immigration drives today’s politics in the US and Europe with Duane F. Sigelko, partner at Reed Smith LLP, who has done pro bono asylum work with the National Immigrant Justice Center for more than 25 years,  and Lisa Koop, the associate director of legal services at the National Immigrant Justice Center.