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Immigration Legal
Advocates Offering
Free Legal Services

Since 1986, migrants and refugees in West Texas and New Mexico have been provided with free immigration legal services from Estrella del Paso, a ministry of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso. Formerly known as Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services, we serve tens of thousands of individuals each year while maintaining a denial rate that hovers near zero. As the largest provider of these services, our scale of operations and the advocacy and expertise of our team are unmatched by any other provider in the region.

Mission

To provide immigration legal services, advocacy, and community outreach to protect immigrants’ rights and advance justice in the spirit of the Gospel.

Rildo

Success Stories

Rildo is a young man whose story is an example of the life-changing possibilities when asylum seekers are given an opportunity. Rildo is originally from Honduras. In his home country, Rildo was recruited by criminal gangs. He refused to be a part of the gang and soon after Rildo and his mother started receiving death threats. The mother and son fled left their home, their family, and their entire lives in Honduras for a chance at survival. Rildo’s mother was placed in the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program, commonly known as “Remain in Mexico,” and she was forced to wait in Juarez.

Rildo entered the United States without his mother as an unaccompanied minor. He was eventually placed in a long-term foster care shelter and enrolled in a local high school in El Paso.

DMRS attorney, Natasha Reyes, is representing Rildo in his pending claim for asylum. Natasha successfully secured a work permit for Rildo, which allows him to work and support himself. In May 2023, Rildo graduated high school!

“There were times where I could have given up. I don’t know where I would be if it weren’t for my friends, my family, and Natasha. The truth is, without her, I wouldn’t be here,” said Rildo on his graduation day.

Rildo has set a new goal of obtaining a degree in electrical engineering and hopes to open his own business one day.

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What Our Clients Are Saying

Media inquiries should be directed to Sandra Ramirez, Director of Communications.