Pro Bono Client Wins Cancellation of Removal under Violence Against Women Act

Cleary Gottlieb successfully represented Ms. E.M., an applicant for asylum and protection under the Violence Against Women Act, referred to the firm by Sanctuary For Families. Before Judge Schoppert of the New York Immigration Court, Ms. E.M. was awarded Cancellation of Removal on May 27.

Ms. E.M., native of Senegal, arrived in the United States in 2000. Ms. E.M’s claim for asylum was based on the treatment she endured in Senegal on account of her religious beliefs and objections to cultural traditions, including forced marriage and forced female genital mutilation. Her VAWA claim was based on the abuse to Ms. E.M. and her U.S. citizen daughter at the hands of the father of the child, a legal permanent resident.