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Please note the following policies before accessing CGRS's technical assistance program.
The TA Library is open to all attorneys and advocates who are working on an individual asylum, withholding of removal, or Convention Against Torture (CAT) case. This includes paralegals, accredited representatives, and law students.
However, we do not allow expert witnesses, pro se asylum seekers, or researchers to access the TA Library. Expert witnesses can access our Expert Witness Resource Library (EWRL) from their My Account page. The EWRL contains all of CGRS's resources relevant to serving as an expert, including country conditions research.
Pro se asylum seekers can access all of CGRS's relevant materials at this link.
Other users may email CGRS-TA@uclawsf.edu with any questions about whether they can access the TA Library.
For internal tracking and reporting purposes, CGRS requires every case number (the five-digit number generated upon submitting a case intake form) to correspond to one individual client. Therefore, please do not submit more than one case record for a single applicant. Also, please do not submit one case intake for multiple individual applicants, unless the cases are consolidated. Maintaining separate records allows us to track each case as it progresses, accurately monitor decision trends, and provide the most relevant resources.
Finally, please do not submit case intakes when conducting research or seeking generalized background information not relevant to a specific case. If you are interested in obtaining CGRS materials for research or generalized purposes, please email us at CGRS-TA@uclawsf.edu with information about your research.
Through our TA program, CGRS provides attorneys with a variety of litigation support materials, including expert declarations, country conditions toolkits, and unpublished decisions. Some CGRS TA materials may be submitted in an individual asylum case in compliance with the below policies.
Materials that MAY be submitted in cases:
- Universal expert declarations may be submitted in any case that has a CGRS case number. Practitioners do not need to contact us to request permission to submit expert declarations for cases registered with CGRS. You do not have permission to submit universal expert declarations in cases that are not registered with CGRS. Please submit a case intake in order to register the case. Once the case is registered, you may submit the universal expert declaration.
- Redacted unpublished decisions found through CGRS’s TA program may be submitted in individual cases that are registered with CGRS. We are not able to provide additional information, such as A-numbers, about the applicant in the unpublished decisions we provide. We recommend citing unpublished decisions in the following format:
- Unpublished IJ Decision, CGRS Database Case No. #6105 (San Francisco Imm. Ct. July 30, 2010)
- Unpublished BIA Decision, CGRS Database Case No. #15753 (BIA Sept. 15, 2016)
Materials that may NOT be submitted in cases:
- Full country conditions toolkits may not be submitted in a filing under any circumstances. Practitioners must review all sources in their entirety before submitting individual articles as evidence in a case, as some information may be potentially harmful. Country conditions toolkits are intended to serve as a starting point for practitioners to conduct their own country conditions research.
- Sample briefs
- Practice advisories
- Materials from CGRS trainings, including handouts or presentation slides
- Other litigation support materials found in the TA Library not specifically mentioned in the above section
Practitioners may share TA materials with others working on the case, so long as the case has been registered with CGRS. Practitioners working on cases not registered with CGRS are not authorized to use CGRS materials until the case has been registered by filling out a case intake form.
If multiple individuals are working on the same case and would like to access the TA Library, you can share the case on the CGRS website. To share a CGRS case (and the tailored TA Library associated with it), navigate to your My Account dashboard and click on the case number of the case you would like to share. On the case record page, click on the "Share Case" tab and enter the email addresses of any others working on the case, e.g., law clinic students, pro bono mentors, or co-counsel. Do not share a case with anyone who is not working with the applicant.
Every TA account registered with CGRS must have an organizational affiliation. We track and report information on our users’ organizational affiliations to relevant funding networks that make our work possible. Individuals who are not currently employed by an organization may select “Solo Practitioner.”
Our TA program is designed to serve advocates and practitioners in the process of representing or assisting asylum seekers. If you are not representing an asylum seeker or individual seeking other types of immigration relief (i.e., CAT/withholding or removal, U or T visa, SIJS), please do not submit a case intake. If you have questions about whether to submit a case intake, email us at CGRS-TA@uclawsf.edu.
Pro se asylum seekers are not required to provide an organizational affiliation.
In order to access CGRS's site, you must confirm that you do not work for the United States or any other foreign government (with the exception of federal public defenders and certain government agencies intended to protect the rights of immigrants) and that you will not use the tools and/or information available on the CGRS website for purposes other than to protect and promote the rights of immigrants. If you are not sure whether you are eligible to register an account with CGRS due to your governmental affilliation, please email us at CGRS-TA@uclawsf.edu and a member of our team will assist you.
CGRS collects documents from cases that have recieved TA, such as unpublished decisions, briefs, and other sample materials. Please obtain your client's permission before sharing any documents with us.
