On October 25, 2023, Jocelyn Dyer, Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor, and students of the Columbus Community Legal Services’ Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Clinic (IRAC) at Catholic Law prepared and presented two 60 minute information sessions for asylum seekers and members of Torture Abolition Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSC), a torture survivor-led nonprofit. During the presentations, IRAC students shared with asylum seekers what they could expect during their interviews at the Arlington Asylum Office. Students presented information on everything from getting to the building to tips on how to answer Asylum Officer's questions. Each session also included a robust Q&A. Much of the conversation focused on the extreme backlogs at the Asylum Office.

Currently, more than 180,000 asylum seekers have been waiting more than 5 years for their chance to present their case to the Asylum Office. During both presentations, torture survivors shared the heartache they experience being separated from family members who remain in danger in their home countries. Collectively, 74 people participated in the information sessions.

Joseph Lopes (2L) shared, "There is so much need, but meeting with individuals who have been waiting for nearly a decade to obtain status and seeing their enthusiasm to seek relief is inspiring." Lopes then reflected, "Our engagement on Friday night felt like filling small holes in a large hull . . . The need is so vast among people seeking asylum who have been waiting for nearly a decade through three administrations. The responses humbled me, as one by one, the meeting participants thanked us for our help."

TASSC will also be posting the presentations on their website, where countless others will be able to receive IRAC students' guidance. The slides IRAC created will also be translated into 5 languages (Amharic, Tigrinya, French, Spanish, and Arabic) and shared widely throughout the local asylum seeking community.

TASSC was founded by Sister Dianna Ortiz, a Roman Catholic nun who was a torture survivor herself. The organization is located minutes from Catholic Law’s campus in Brookland.