For Nishu Afobunor, becoming an immigration lawyer is deeply personal.

Nishu came to the United States as a refugee after his family fled religious persecution. He still remembers the compassion of the lawyers who helped his family navigate the asylum process and begin rebuilding their lives.

Now, as an Equal Justice America Immigration Fellow at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) in Laredo, Texas, Nishu is beginning his own career helping immigrants navigate the legal system. A 2026 graduate of Columbia Law School, Nishu is serving a two-year, $150,000 EJA Post-Graduate Fellowship.

And the work has already begun.

During his first month at TRLA, Nishu has been learning the complexities of T and U visas while working directly with clients. One of his first matters involves a survivor of severe human trafficking who was granted T-1 nonimmigrant status and is now seeking to become a lawful permanent resident.

The experience is also showing Nishu how immigration issues intersect with nearly every part of a client’s life. In TRLA’s Laredo office, clients may initially seek help with workers’ compensation, veterans’ assistance, agricultural work, or other issues that intersect with their immigration status.

For Nishu, it brings his own journey full circle.

“I came to the United States as a refugee, and I remember the compassion and dedication of the lawyers who helped my family abroad navigate an unfamiliar system and begin rebuilding our lives.”

Those lawyers showed Nishu that law can do more than resolve a legal problem. As he writes in his first Fellowship report, it can “restore dignity, create hope, and open the door to a promising future.”

That is exactly what EJA’s Post-Graduate Fellowship Program is designed to make possible: adding an attorney to a legal aid organization where the need is great while giving an extraordinary young lawyer the opportunity to begin a career in public service.

We are proud to have Nishu representing EJA in Laredo, and we're excited to follow his work over the next two years.

Meet Nishu and follow his EJA Fellowship