Minnesota Lawyers Come to Immigrants’ Aid for Free

ST. PAUL (AP) -Changes in immigration policy are prompting some Minnesota lawyers to pursue immigration cases for free.

Cynthia Anderson is the pro bono director at Lindquist & Vennum, a Minneapolis law firm that has about 140 attorneys working on pro bono cases. She says that more than 10 percent of the firm's cases in 2016 were immigration-related. She expects that number to rise for this year.

Anderson says many attorneys are motivated in part because they see the basic human rights of others being violated.

Anne Applebaum is the pro bono director at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. She says the increased anti-immigration rhetoric has motivated lawyers to pursue more complex immigration cases.

Applebaum says it can make clients feel empowered to know that someone is helping them for no financial gain.