Immigration Advocacy & Support Center
ABOUT
Our Mission
The Immigration Advocacy & Support Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide quality low-cost immigration legal services in Southeast Connecticut. IASC also educates the community and local service providers on immigration law and policy.
We focus on “family immigration law” - filing new permanent legal residency applications to reunite parents, children and spouses; renewing and replacing legal permanent residency cards; and applying for citizenship. We refer asylum and deportation cases to larger firms.
We are funded by generous donors, foundations, and sliding scale service fees. We are grateful for the assistance of many volunteers! Thank you for your support.
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IASC Staff
Attorney Joseph Marino is an accredited immigration lawyer admitted to the bar in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Louisiana. He meets with all clients and is responsible for all case work. Attorney Marino has led IASC since 2018.
Paralegal Angela Florez has a law degree from Universidad Libre in Cali, Colombia. She is an accredited representative with the Bureau of Immigration Appeals. Angela is bilingual English / Spanish.
The Immigration Advocacy and Support Center (IASC), pronounced “I Ask”, was established in late 2014 to provide low-cost, high-quality immigration-related legal services and to educate communities in Southeast Connecticut on immigration law and policy.
Leadership: IASC is led by immigration attorney Joseph Marino, who became Executive Director after Founding Director, Michael Doyle left in September, 2018. Paralegal Angela Florez has greeted clients and led the case filing workflow process since March of 2018. IASC’s active Board provides strategic direction, governance oversight, and financial control.
Volunteers: IASC benefits from the efforts of experienced volunteers, many of whom have worked with the organization since its inception. They provide support services such as bookkeeping and grantwriting.
Partnerships: IASC also has benefited from partnerships with many organizations, beginning with the Church of the City (COTC) which provided the initial funding for the organization. COTC continues to provide office space and utilities for IASC. Connecticut College partners with IASC on internship programs, and countless other service organizations refer clients.
Clientele: IASC has served an increasing number of clients each year. In 2020, IASC educated and assisted over 1,050 residents, provided consultations for almost 110 individuals, and managed 119 cases.
Demographics: About a third of clients are from New London, another third from Norwich, and the remainder from surrounding towns. They come from over 40 countries and the majority are either Black or Hispanic.
IASC History
IASC is Accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice
IASC is the only non-profit in either New London or Norwich with Bureau of Immigration Appeals accreditation from the Department of Justice. Accreditation allows authorized representatives to counsel immigration clients, complete immigration forms, and represent clients before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The accredited representative can fill out USCIS forms and represent clients at USCIS interviews.