On Tuesday, we are training the pro bono attorneys to prepare them to face an immigration judge and represent their client in a bond hearing. At this training, I would like to give each non-Spanish speaking attorney the name and contact information for a volunteer who will travel with the attorney to the jail (once the attorney has cleared you by giving the jail your name, date of birth, social security number and place of birth so that you can enter the facility). The detainees are held at jails that are 1-1.5 hours away from Boston, so you can be certain that the time commitment will be at least 1/2 of a day, to be arranged with the attorney. It is likely that the attorney will also need you to make phone calls to family members of the detainee as well. You are welcome to attend the bond hearing, but will not be the official translator for the hearing, as the government will provide a translator at the bond hearing.

We expect to need 30-40 translators (fewer if translators agree to handle more than one case). You do not need to know "legal" Spanish - I will email you a list of Spanish terms that you may not use in your everyday life, but which will help in the translations ( i.e., the word for "bond"), but the information you will be interpreting is much more about life circumstances of the detainee - family, employment, etc. You also do not need to be a law student to translate.

Please also forward this email on to anyone else you know who would be interested in helping and speaks Spanish.

Thanks, and I look forward to adding your name to the list!