Rainbow Railroad Intake Project

In countries all over the world, lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-identified (LGBTI) people live in basic fear for their freedom, their safety and their lives. They often have nowhere to turn because their government and police not only tolerate but encourage this brutality. Rainbow Railroad exists to help these people get out of danger to somewhere safe. In the spirit of and with homage to the Underground Railroad, the mission of the Rainbow Railroad is to help LGBT people as they seek safe haven from state enabled violence, murder or persecution. We support, provide information, and help to arrange safe transportation for these LGBT people to somewhere in the world where they can live their lives in safety.

Rainbow Railroad receives hundreds of requests for help every year from countries where LGBT individuals are open targets of violence. Because the volume of requests is so high, we focus our efforts on assisting LGBT people who have faced physical violence or face an imminent threat of violence, imprisonment, or death. We have been successful in helping individuals from the Caribbean, Africa, South-Central Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East where we have local networks to support and validate cases.

Students will assist Rainbow Railroad staff with client intake, researching specific immigration- related legal questions in order to provide legal information, form filling, and gathering and compiling client legal documentation in support of Rainbow Road’s work in providing information to LGBT people on routes to safety and resources on seeking asylum, providing means for travel to safe countries in North America and Europe, and building relationships between them and settlement agencies once there.

Having taken courses in immigration and refugee law would be an asset.