A safe community is a just community. We want to be sure that Austinites who may be impacted by recent events continue to feel safe and have access to legal services.

Legal Help/Ayuda Legal

1. Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Inc.
   512.374.2777(Austin)
   888-988-9996 (Main Office)
   provides free legal services to low income residents; represents migrant and seasonal farm workers; operates defender programs in several Southwest Texas counties; call Monday through Thursday 8am-8pm; Friday 8am-6pm
2. American Gateways
   512.478.0546
   314 E. Highland Mall Boulevard, Suite 501
   Austin, TX 78752-3733
   American Gateways has served the Central Texas immigrant community since 1987. American Gateways’ mission is “to chamption the dignity and human rights of refuges and immigrant survivors of persecution, torture, conflict, and human trafficking through exceptional immigrant legal services at no or low cost, education, and advocacy. Handles immigration matters including, but not limited to, asylum, VAWA petitions, citizenship, family-based visa petitions, detaineeesrights, TPS for Hondurans and immigrant victims of crime.
3. Casa Marianella
   512.385.5571 (Main Office)
   “Casa Marianella is a volunteer-driven emergency homeless shelter in east Austin, serving recently-arrived immigrants and asylum seekers from around the world. In addition to shelter, Casa offers access to legal and medical resources, food, clothing, English classes and other resources.” “Provides immigration services (asylum, U-visas, VAWA, work permits, and adjustment of status) and other resources . . . legal clinic is located inside the community education center, 821 Gunter St., Austin 78702.”
4. Volunteer Legal Services, Central Texas
   512.476.5550 (Office)
   “Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas helps low-income clients access the civil justice system by providing volunteer attorneys who donate free legal advice and representation, and by supporting and training those attorneys. Last year, VLS volunteer attorneys and staff provided nearly 5,000 clients with over 17,250 hours of free legal services.”

1. Catholic Charities of Central Texas Immigration Legal Services
   512.651.6100 (Main Office)
   Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday, 8:30 – 5pm. Closed Noon-1. Closed on weekends.
   “Catholic Charites of Central Texas provides low cost, high quality legal representation in immigration matter for our clients. Our Immigration Legal Services program has experienced attorneys and legal support staff to help with most immigration based needs. . . . Representation includes, but is not limited to: Family Based Immigration, Permanent Resident Card Replacement or Renewal, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Visas for victims for crime of human trafficking, naturalization, [and] asylum.” “$35 initial consultation fee includes review of client eligibility for immigration benefits.”
2. Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES)
   210.226.7722
   1305 N. Flores Street
   San Antonio, TX 78212
   “Provides immigration related legal services for asylum seekers, unaccompanied minors, immigration detainees, and victims of domestic violence, crime and human trafficking.”
3. University of Texas School of Law
   512.471.5151
   727 East Dan Keeton St.
   Austin, Texas 78705
   “Students in the Immigration Clinic represent vulnerable low-income immigrants from all over the world before the immigration and federal courts and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).” Cases and projects include: challenging family detention, defending against removal and seeking status for migrants including asylum cases, assisting victims of domestic violence and other crimes, cancellation of removal and adjustment of status claims, citizenship claims, and work with DREAMers.
4. St. Mary’s University School of Law
   210.431.2596 (Main Office)
   “Provides legal assistance through the law school’s clinic; . . . Immigration and Human Rights; cannot take cases requiring immediate attention. “
5. Bernardo Kohler Center
   512.831.4272
   Provides services to immigrant indiviuals including: “adjustment of status, asylum applications, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Deferred Action for Parents of American and Lawful Permanent Resident (DAPA), Employment authorization, NACARA, Removal hearings, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, T visas, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), U visas, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions.”
6. Texas Civil Right Project
   888.364.8277
   “Provide[s] free immigration services to immigrant survivors of abuse living in rural and underserved areas of Texas. Abuse does not have to be physical; it could also be psychological, sexual or economic.”
7. Equal Justice Center
   512.474.0007
   “Empowering low-income families, workers and communities to achieve fair treatment in the workplace, in the justice system, and in our shared community—regardless of immigration status.”
8. Refugee Services of Texas
   512.472.9472
   RST’s mission is “guided by the principles of human compassion and dignity, Refugee Services of Texas welcomes refugees, immigrants, and other displaced people and supports them in integrating and thriving in their new communities.” Services in Austin include “resettlement services, survivors of trafficking empowerment program (STEP), job readiness training and job placement, immigration services, medical case management, social adjustment services, counseling and wellness, refugee cash assistance, and English language training.

It’s no secret that Mayor Steve Adler’s upcoming $720 million Smart Corridor Plan will have a lasting effect on mobility in Austin. His preferred bond package is focused around transforming some of our busiest roads into Smart Corridors. The streets in the Smart Corridor plan are the ones we drive on all the time: Airport Boulevard, East Riverside Drive, North and South Lamar, FM969 & MLK, and Burnet.

Almost half (49.6%) of Austin’s population lives within two miles of these streets, and they were not built to carry this much traffic. If we can turn these old state highways into Smart Corridors, we’ll be improving traffic congestion in a way that makes transit more effective and attractive and makes biking and walking safer and more convenient.

But just how effective will these Smart Corridors be in your day-to-day commute? With these helpful PDF’s you can find out how much time you’ll save at major intersections with (and without) major changes being completed.

Airport BLVD Wait Time

Burnet N Lamar Wait Times

E Riverside Wait Times

FM 969 – East MLK, JR Wait Times

S Lamar Wait Times

For more information, you can read the full corridor program reports here:

Airport Boulevard

Burnet N Lamar

East Riverside

FM 969 – East MLK JR

South Lamar

If you’re curious about how these roads will become Smart Corridors or want to learn more, you can read our article, “How Clogged Roads Become ‘Smart Corridors.'”

Texas Democratic Convention Remarks 

         Friday, June 17, 2016

You know those nights in the middle of a campaign when it’s late and the crew has come back from canvassing and block walking. Everyone gathers at campaign headquarters and out comes the pizza and the beer. And who is there?  It’s you guys.

Tonight we’re hearing a lot about federal and statewide issues.  And that’s great, but it’s at the local level where stuff gets done.  You guys are the precinct chairs, the community leaders, he local advocatesnd the activists. You guys are the boiler room and the folks at the frontline.

The theme of this convention is that “Texas Democrats are on the side of hard-working Texas families.” But this puts me in a tough spot.

You see, I’m the Mayor of Austin.  And, if I limited my efforts to advocating only on behalf of hard-working Texas families, I’d be ignoring a really significant part of my constituency.

I mean, Austin is where 20-somethings would go to retire. And many of those folks, the slackers, they’re still around. Continue reading →