Emma Mata Featured by NBC Latino
"Attorney volunteers to help children avoid deportation"

On April 30, Seyfarth Shaw litigation attorney Emma Mata was prominently featured in an article on NBC Latino for her Pro Bono efforts and commitment to the Houston, Texas community by providing legal help to unaccompanied, undocumented minors facing deportation.

Emma was recently selected as Pro Bono Attorney of the Month by the KIND (Kids in Need of Defense) organization for her work in helping three young siblings find care and protection in the United States. With over 8,000 unaccompanied, undocumented children coming into the U.S. every year, Emma stated, “there are plenty of children in Texas who can use our help.”

Emma recently helped three children, ages 8, 9 and 11, whose parents had died and were sent by their ill grandmother in El Salvador to live with their aunt in the United States. Though these children were lucky in that they had a caring aunt who took them as her own, they still faced deportation since they came here illegally.  The aunt contacted KIND, and Emma, with the help of other KIND volunteer attorneys, was able to prove the children had no one to care for them in their Salvadorian home town, which was also a region notorious for gang violence. With Emma's help and after many months of legal work, the children were granted residency status.  

“If they didn’t have an attorney, I don’t think the family could have gone through the process successfully,” said Emma.  ”It is very hard to navigate the immigration process, and many children or their caretakers, if they do not understand English well.”  

Emma said being able to help a child stay in this country and live a safe, productive life is the best reward of all.  “I love being able to help these children,” she commented. “As a mother, I can’t even imagine what they have gone through.” 

For the full article, please click here.  http://nbclatino.tumblr.com/post/22133109235/attorney-volunteers-to-help-children-avoid-deportation