The City of Seattle hosted a huge event Saturday to provide free legal help and information for refugees and immigrants.
Mayor Jenny Durkin wanted the event to signal the city's continued appreciation of the contributions of immigrants and refugees.
More than a thousand people were helped at the event with free counseling and legal advice. Around 800 volunteers, including hundreds of lawyers, met with people one-on-one.
The city held the event last year but said policies from the Trump administration seemed to stir more enthusiasm this year.
“We found that in 2017 immigration arrests in our borders increased 40% and it's causing fear” Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs Director Cuc Vu explained.
The goal was to break down the barriers that keep people from getting help.
“There are about 9 million permanent residents who are eligible for naturalization,” Vu said. “More than half are considered low income, so the population we are serving today are folks who cannot afford help.”
Yara Rodriguez said she’d been putting off doing her paperwork for 8 years.
“This is the time you have to do it” she explained.
She was touched by the hundreds of volunteers - people giving a little time from their lives to try and change hers.
