Cardozo School of Law’s Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic won a major victory for a man who faced torture in his country of origin.

Supervised by Clinical Teaching Fellow Ellie Norton, students Vasundhra Navjeevan ’25 and Anais Rosenblatt ’25 successfully demonstrated that their client qualified for relief from deportation under the Convention Against Torture and cannot be sent back to his home country. 

According to the United Nations, the convention prohibits torture and other acts of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. Signatory parties to the convention prevent acts of torture by not returning people to a country where they may face torture. 

Rosenblatt and Navjeevan were assigned to the case during their first month with the Immigration Justice Clinic. Norton has represented the client since 2020 and brought the case with her to the clinic in 2023.

“We were both looking to work with non-traditional clients that usually are looked over by pro-bono service providers,” Rosenblatt said. “We both believed strongly in the merits of our client’s case and felt that return to [his home country] would have devastating consequences. It was incredibly exciting and validating that the immigration judge agreed, adopting many of our arguments in his final decision.”

Navjeevan shared the sentiment.

“My time working on this case has taught me the importance of holistic legal care, taking the time to set forth and counter-predicted opposing counsel arguments in briefing, and the power of empathy,” Navjeevan said. “I believe we won this case because, through our extensive social science and country conditions research, we convinced the immigration judge to see our client as a human being truly afraid for his life.”

The team members poured hours of work into the case, familiarizing themselves with a record spanning thousands of pages and conducting extensive legal research, all of which resulted in a 50-page legal brief.

They also prepared for two appearances on behalf of the client in immigration court.

"Now more than ever, this victory means the world to our client, and it is truly a testament to Vasundhra’s and Anais' dedication and hard work," Norton said.