Gollobin, Ira, 1911-

Ira Gollobin, an immigration rights attorney and author, served as pro bono counselor to refugees from all over the world including Nazi Germany and Duvalierist Haiti. His work with Haitian refugees, the purview of this collection, began in 1974. In this capacity he served as lead counsel on several major cases that were pivotal to the rights of Haitian refugees, the so-called "boat people." Gollobin's critical role as lead counsel was as important as his active role in developing grassroots organizations that made the public aware and active in Haitian refugee legislation issues. Through his affiliation with major organizations such as Church World Service and the communist founded American Committee for the Protection of the Foreign Born, he created channels for Haitian-American led coalitions such as the National Coalition for Haitian Rights and Haitian Refugee Center, two prominent activist organizations, to form and help steer the campaign for the rights of Haitian refugees. He organized a broad-based strategy that combined legal advocacy to secure basic freedoms for Haitians with long-term policy arguments aimed at granting thousands of Haitian immigrants the right to due process in filing asylum claims.

From the description of Haitian Refugee collection, 1972-2004. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 709936940

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