Pars Equality Center’s Fremont office opened in January 2022 in response to the Afghan crisis. Since its opening, the center has assisted thousands of newly arrived Afghan parolees with legal consultations, asylum applications, temporary protected status, adjustment of status, re-parole, and family petitions. In response to the overwhelming need for immigration legal services, Pars Fremont implements a mostly clinic-based model, whereby Pars staff in conjunction with law firm partners such as Cooley and Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (B.A.L), and volunteers from American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) plus the community at large, work together to serve a significant number of individuals and families with free monthly immigration clinics.
In 2024, Pars Fremont has successfully conducted 30 clinics, supported by over 150 dedicated pro bono attorneys. Pars Fremont’s Managing Attorney, Sima Alizadeh, trains pro bonos and volunteers, and coordinates the clinics with our Pars staff: DOJ Accredited Representative, Sara Ahrar; Legal Administrators, Wagma Ghani and Hamid Wayand; and LSFN Legal Fellow, Carlos Riaz-Anaya. Thanks to this remarkable team, the project has provided direct services to the community in a wide range of languages, including Farsi/Dari, Pashto, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, and Urdu. The Fremont office takes pride in its strong volunteer support, notably from long-term volunteers such as Patrice Beard, who have greatly contributed to our success.
For more information on how to participate in Pars Fremont’s free monthly clinics, please contact [email protected] or 510-894-3161. As we continue to provide these critical services, we rely on the generosity of donors to keep our clinics running and expand our reach. Please consider making a donation to Pars Equality Center.