Legal Assistance Group Getting $500K to Help Maine Refugees

Maine Public | By Associated Press

Published May 11, 2017 at 12:22 PM EDT

PORTLAND, Maine - The Sam L. Cohen Foundation is giving a grant of $500,000 to one of the only programs in Maine that offers legal assistance to refugees and immigrants.

The University of Maine School of Law runs the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic, which is receiving the grant. The law school says it is receiving the money at a time when requests for legal help from refugees and immigrants are on the rise.

Maine Law professor Anna Welch oversees the refugee clinic and says it assists people who need help with issues such as asylum claims and work permits.

Maine Law students perform the clinic's work under the supervision of faculty members. The clinic launched in 2012.

The Cohen Foundation has been a primary supporter of the clinic.