While the South Asian community has done much to assess the impact of September 11, it is only now, with the establishment of the Legal Aid Network for South Asians (LANSA), that the community can start preparing for the next 9/11, said Anamika Samanta, the group founder.
The group, focused on the New York region, hopes to tackle crime and immigration law as well as other obstacles faced by South Asians at home and the workplace.
“Am I eligible for overtime? Does my immigration status affect my ability to get overtime? Does food or lodging that my employer provides count against my wage?” These are some of the questions that attorney Chaumtoli Huq faced at a recent event, said LANSA attorney Tejash Sanchala.
“Often, the workers are packed 10 to 12 to a room. Before you know it, [the employer will say] ‘Oh, you owe me money,’” Sanchala explained.
LANSA came out of discussions between attorneys post 9/11, when South Asians became vulnerable to violence, exploitation or complications with immigration law. Samanta, an attorney at Willkie Farr &Gallagher and a member of the South Asian Bar Association of New York, said she frequently got calls from people looking for help.
“Eventually,” she said, “you exhaust your resources and contacts.”
Sanchala cited figures that made the South Asian population of New York larger than official census figures.
“The missing chunk of numbers may not be the most educated members of the community and may not know what avenues are open to them. There may be language issues and immigration concerns. They may not have resources or people they can talk to. People may not be willing to come forward as they are concerned about immigration status. Employers threaten workers.”
Samanta noted a situation in which LANSA’s new listserve proved quickly useful. New York attorney Leena Khan was working on an asylum case for a Pakistani-American man, and needed an expert on Pakistani issues.
“She put in a request on her referral network,” said Samanta, “and within two minutes she got a response from an attorney. Within a couple of hours, she got another response.”
Both responses, said Samanta, helped Khan with her case. “That’s the sort of thing we can do.”
Ultimately, said Samanta, the group hopes to extend its reach beyond New York and provide a broader range of legal services, in large part by taking advantage of a network of South Asian corporate attorneys willing to provide pro bono services.
“As a relatively small immigrant population in the country, we have to grow and deal with challenges. This is one way we can do that,” she said. “Many groups take advantage of corporate resources. We don’t do that. We need to do that to survive and feel safe. Right now, many members of our community are not,” she added.
