Know Your Rights
- Midwest Mujeres
- 3 minutes ago
- 8 min read
Hello Midwest Mujeres,
This week, I had the pleasure of connecting with Immigration Attorney Alayna Connolly through her recent involvement with our community here at Midwest Mujeres, where she led our most recent Women’s Circle talk and Know Your Rights session this past Wednesday, April 16th.
Thank you to all who joined us, and for those who didn’t, don’t worry… I had the chance to chat one-on-one with Attorney Connolly from the C and ask her some important questions related to her work.
If you couldn’t make it, here’s another way to tap in—stay in the loop and tap in!
Resources:
Legal Nonprofit Website and Resource page: https://www.cilcmadison.org/resources-i-recursos-legales
Midwest Mujeres' resource page:
Centro's Immigration Legal Defense Fund:
Voces de La Frontera
Important Handouts from the talk:D
Community Immigration Law Center Business Card
Alayna Connolly
“It’s so important right now to keep doing the work Midwest Mujeres is doing. It’s important now more than ever to build that community. And if you have questions about an immigration issue, it’s really important to seek out an attorney so you can make an informed decision and understand your options.”
Attorney Alayna Connolly is an immigration attorney and an Immigrant Justice Corps fellow at the Community Immigration Law Center (CILC). Through her fellowship with Immigrant Justice Corps—a New York–based organization that places new attorneys in nonprofits across the country—she was matched with CILC here in Wisconsin.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2024 and has been living in Madison for a little over four years.
Fun fact (shared during our conversation): she sews and makes her own clothes.
This is an Interview blog, which is about a five-minute read
4 Quick Takeaways If You Don’t Have Time to Read the Full Blog
Know Your Rights matters now more than ever. Immigration attorney Alayna Connolly shared that many people do not realize they have options, protections, and the right to seek legal help before making decisions.
You are not automatically given a free attorney in immigration court. Immigration proceedings are civil cases, which means people often need to find their own legal representation—but they can ask the judge for more time to do so.
Children arriving alone may qualify for important protections. Unaccompanied minors can have special legal pathways and exceptions that may help their cases.
Community is part of protection. Attorney Connolly emphasized that building trusted community spaces like Midwest Mujeres is essential so families can access information, support, and referrals when they need them most.
How would you define an “unaccompanied minor” from a legal or formal standpoint?
To begin the conversation and ground the discussion, I first asked Attorney Connelly to define a key term that helps frame her work and the populations she serves.
Unaccompanied Minors
An unaccompanied minor is a child under the age of 18 who enters the United States without a parent or legal guardian, often after arriving alone at the border. When that happens, they are usually placed in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement until they can be reunited with a family member. Most often, that might be an older sibling, an aunt or uncle, and sometimes even a parent who is already living in the United States. In some cases, they may also be released to a trusted family friend.
What’s important to know is that even after they are reunited with family or a legal guardian is appointed, they still keep their unaccompanied minor status. That status can make a big difference in how their immigration case is handled.
For example, if an unaccompanied minor is seeking asylum, they may still be able to apply through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, even if they are already in removal proceedings and have hearings in immigration court. In practical terms, that gives them two opportunities to present their asylum case: first with USCIS, and if it is denied there, they may have another chance before the immigration judge.
Another major protection is the filing deadline. Normally, someone must apply for asylum within one year of entering the United States unless there are special circumstances. Unaccompanied minors, however, automatically qualify for an exception to that one-year rule, which means they can still apply even if more than a year has passed since their arrival.
From a practical perspective, what does that status look like in real life? What are some of the most common situations that lead a child to become classified as an unaccompanied minor?
Many of the youth I work with come to the United States to escape serious violence, including gang violence, community instability, or abuse within the home. A large number of the children I see are from Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Venezuela.
Often, parents feel it is no longer safe for their child to remain in their home country, so they send their child to live with a relative already in the United States. In other cases, the parents are already here, and the child may have been living with a grandparent or another caregiver abroad until the situation became too dangerous.
Another major area of my work involves Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, or SIJS. These are cases involving children who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected by one or both parents. We often see children who come to live with a sibling or another relative in the United States because they were fleeing abuse at home or because a parent was unable or unwilling to care for them.
So, in many cases, the underlying reason is either escaping external violence, such as gangs or political instability, or escaping violence, neglect, or abuse within the home itself.
Know Your Rights in Practice
After hearing more about the realities her clients are facing, we moved into the practical side of things—what it really means to “know your rights,” and the key things Attorney Connelly makes sure to emphasize in her work with clients.
When it comes to immigration rights, what is the number one thing people either misunderstand or simply do not know about their rights?
One of the biggest misconceptions has to do with the right to an attorney. Deportation or removal proceedings can feel a lot like criminal court, so many people assume that, just like in criminal cases, an attorney will automatically be provided for them. But immigration proceedings are civil, not criminal, which means you do not have the right to a court-appointed attorney or public defender.
That said, many people also do not realize that they still have the right to ask for time to find legal representation. If someone is detained or in removal proceedings and has a hearing scheduled, they can absolutely tell the judge, “I would like more time so I can try to hire an attorney or find legal help.”
Usually, the first hearing is what is called a master calendar hearing, which is essentially an initial check-in hearing. This is one of the most important moments for someone to let the judge know that they do not want to move forward without first speaking with an attorney.
People sometimes think they need to be fully prepared to present their case at that first hearing, when in reality, they can say, “I do not want to proceed until I have legal counsel.” Judges generally respect that and will give them time to look for representation.
So I would say the biggest misunderstanding is twofold: first, people often assume an attorney will be automatically provided, and second, they may not realize they have the right to ask for more time to secure one.
If someone does not already know their rights or needs this information quickly, where should they go to learn more or get help?
There is actually a lot of good information available online. One organization that puts out excellent Know Your Rights materials is the National Immigration Project. They have a number of easy-to-understand flyers and resources that can help people quickly understand what their rights are, especially in urgent situations.
In terms of finding an attorney, local nonprofit legal organizations are often one of the best places to start. For example, the Community Immigration Law Center is a great resource (CICL)—little plug for myself there—and in Wisconsin, organizations like Dane County Immigration Affairs can also help connect people with legal assistance.
If someone is specifically seeking legal representation, they can contact CILC directly by visiting our website or calling our main line at 608-640-4444. They can leave a message, and someone from the team will follow up.
Honestly, the quickest step is to reach out to any legitimate immigration legal resource you can find. Even if they are not the right fit, they are often able to make a referral and help point you in the right direction.
System Shifts & Uncertainty
Zooming out, we also discussed broader changes in immigration law and what she is currently seeing in her work.
Broadly speaking, there’s really just a lot more instability right now. The judges have been changing a lot in the immigration courts and the policies.
In asylum cases in particular, there have been notable changes that have made certain claims more difficult, and at the same time, DHS attorneys have become more aggressive in their approach. They’re less likely to agree to resolutions, and even in cases where asylum is granted, we’re seeing more frequent appeals.
“It seems like overall, the biggest shift is this sense of instability across the system—across the courts, across policy, and even in day-to-day practice. It creates a lot of uncertainty for families, even when they have strong cases.”
Closing Reflections
What do you wish more people understood about immigration law—the work you do or what you have witnessed?
“I wish that they understood that it is not like a traditional court system. You don’t have the right to an attorney like a public defender. But also, we don’t have to follow the rules of evidence in the same way —you can do immigration through the court system, or there’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is separate.”
The second thing is that “there’s a lot more options for people than they realize. A lot of times people will wait to come see us because they think they don’t have any options…but there are a lot more options than people realize.”
What made you want to partner with Midwest Mujeres, and how does your work align with what we’re trying to do here?
“Part of Community Immigration Law Center’s mission is to build community and ensure that people have access to justice.”
“When I was looking into Midwest Mujeres, I really liked the community-building aspect. I think that’s so important—and it’s something we also see at CILC.”
Thank you & Looking Ahead
That connection between access and community is where this conversation naturally settles, anchored in a shared responsibility toward one another, which is why we are especially thankful to everyone who joined us for the Know Your Rights Circle Talk. Share the information forward. And don’t hesitate to let us know how you’re carrying this work into your own work, how you’re keeping the word moving, your circle growing, and how this may have shaped your understanding, perspective, or next steps.
A special Thank You to Attorney Alayna Connolly for enthusiastically jumping into these deep conversations and for making these complex concepts more digestible and ready to be acted upon.
As we keep moving forward, here is what’s Next:
Coming up:
Wednesday: May 28th: All Spanish workshop on Alzheimer's
June: Menopause Workshop and Mujeres Circle
Wednesday, July 15: Voices and Dreams Kick-off
Saturday, Nov. 7: Annual Storytelling event: La Historia de las mujeres de Las Américas
Editorial Note
This is an edited transcript from a recorded phone call conversation with Attorney Alayna Connelly. Her words have been lightly revised and redacted for readability while preserving the meaning and intent of her responses.
About our Blogger:D
Fernanda Alayo is a proud Peruvian Latina, bilingual writer, healthcare professional, and community advocate passionate about uplifting women through education, storytelling, and access to opportunity. As a contributor with Midwest Mujeres, she writes about wellness, leadership, immigrant experiences, and the issues that matter most to Latina communities.
Fernanda is also a registered nurse with experience in oncology and community health, bringing both compassion and real-world insight to her work. Her writing blends heart, knowledge, and cultural perspective to help readers feel informed, empowered, and seen.