Ministro Corpus
What is the purpose of Ministro Corpus?
Ministro Corpus was created based upon the sudden surge in habeas corpus petitions being used to release detainees in Texas detention centers. Asylum cases have slowed down, and bonds are no longer being granted to those in detention. So, Texas Immigration Law Council has started a pro-bono program to assign lawyers to detainees in hopes to release as many detainees as possible through habeas corpus petitions. Due to the fact that habeas corpus petitions have proven successful, demand has skyrocketed. Your role as a Ministro Corpus volunteer is to assist the legal counsel filing these petitions, and the detainee, in order to streamline the process as much as possible.
What does the program do?
- Assist the legal counsel of detainees in Texas
- Help gather records & information from the family and friends of the detainee that would be needed for a habeas corpus petition
- Assist the family of the detainee (if needed)
- Help them locate and contact their family member in detention, provide pastoral care, and any other needs that might arise
- Assist the detainee
- Send mail, set up visitation, provide pastoral care, and other tasks that would help the detainee
Who can sign up to volunteer with Ministro Corpus?
People of faith from any community in Texas can sign up to be a volunteer for Ministro Corpus. Because of the literal and emotional workload, we recommend having at least two people from your faith community so one person is not overwhelmed with all of the Ministro Corpus tasks. While two is the minimum, the more the merrier. If there are enough volunteers from your faith community, you can potentially handle more than one habeas case.
How do I sign up for my faith community to participate in Ministro Corpus?
After we have all signed up for the program, what happens next?
Overview of the volunteer process:
- Volunteers from churches, synagogues, mosques, or other faith communities form a “team” and sign up to work together via the Ministro Corpus Volunteer Sign-Up Form
- Once volunteers have signed up and signed the appropriate waivers, the group of volunteers at each location (congregation, synagogue, etc.) will be paired with a lawyer and their detainee client.
- From there, the legal counsel will direct the MC volunteers based on what needs to be done for their case.
- Texas Impact will guide volunteers and ensure that the program is running smoothly, while Texas Immigration Law Council pairs the volunteers and directs the legal counsel.