MINNESOTA LAW —  Several Minnesota Law students recently joined faculty and staff from the James H. Binger Center for New Americans to provide legal support to Afghan refugees on the Fort McCoy military base in Wisconsin. The team helped the refugees understand the complex and often challenging U.S. immigration system, prepare their asylum or special immigrant visa applications, and get connected to a nationwide network of lawyers. Nearly 13,000 Afghans have passed through Fort McCoy since fleeing their native country last summer. When the Binger Center staff learned of the need for volunteer immigration attorneys and paralegals to help with the overwhelming caseload, they reached out to the lawyers in the Ft. McCoy Operation Allies Welcome legal clinic, operated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Minnesota Law team aided an estimated 70-95 Afghan guests over three days in late January, says Deepinder Singh Mayell, executive director of the Binger Center. While these refugees are granted temporary status to stay in the U.S. for up to three years, Mayell says there is hope that Congress will pass an adjustment act to streamline the asylum process, given the volume and unique situation of these refugees. Until that time, each Afghan guest must file for asylum or a special immigrant visa.