The Ohio Center for Strategic Immigration Litigation & Outreach
auxilio: ayuda que se presta en una situación de peligro o necesidad.
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OCSILiO: help presented in times of danger or need.
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auxilio: ayuda que se presta en una situación de peligro o necesidad. 〰️ OCSILiO: help presented in times of danger or need. 〰️
Blog Posts
Today, for the first time after starting as a legal assistant at OCSILiO, I went to visit asylum seekers at the Seneca County Jail in Tiffin, Ohio, to talk with them and learn about their cases. Upon arriving at the jail, I immediately felt as though I was being watched. From the moment I entered through the moment I left, there was a clear sense of surveillance. A reception desk was hidden behind one-way mirrors. Cameras were visibly scattered across the ceiling. Everything was seen by faceless observers.
The Ohio Center for Strategic Immigration Litigation and Outreach ("OCSILiO" - pronounced "auxilio") was formed in 2020 as the first litigator-founded nonprofit legal services organization in Ohio focused primarily on clients seeking release from detention.
OCSILiO recognizes that the current immigration crisis in the United States is as much a problem of democracy as it is of litigation, and welcomes the opportunity to address the public about relevant topics in the rapidly developing field of immigration law and prospective reforms. Many of Attorney Hoffman's clients enjoy the opportunity to participate in public outreach events as well, and their experiences and images have been featured in media ranging from local community theater productions to the covers of United Nations publications.
Winning asylum and release from detention for a Somali man who spent over 2 years in jail despite almost losing his leg in a vicious machete attack.
Winning release from detention for a Salvadoran man who spent 3 and a half years in jail despite having young children who were Legal Permanent Residents of the United States.
Winning protection under the Convention Against Torture for Nicaraguan man who spent six months in jail after being arrested in the U.S. when he helped his teenage son escape from political persecution in Nicaragua.
Winning release from detention for a Honduran teenager who spent seven months in jail despite being included on his mother's asylum claim that had already been pending for years.
Recent Successes
Brian J. Hoffman, Esq.
Attorney Brian Hoffman (he/him), Founding Executive Director of the Center, has been a litigator for over 10 years and has held key leadership roles in a variety of successful free legal services projects based at detention centers in Texas, Georgia, and Ohio.
Brian Hoffman grew up on a farm in Wooster, Ohio, and earned his law degree from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. He served in the office of Governor Ted Strickland before going into private practice where he represented mostly Spanish-speaking clients in immigration, criminal, and domestic relations cases.
“Thank you for your heart, your service, and your amazing legal skills!!! You have touched souls and helped so many of the most vulnerable achieve dignity and due process.”
— Jenna Peyton, Esq., Volunteer Attorney
Contact
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