Page 16 - MABA Newsletter

Status Pending

The Mexican American Bar Association of Los Angeles County
(MABA) was proud to host a special screening of the film “Status
Pending” on March 31, 2021. The 2020 documentary is a sobering

and heartfelt look at the professional and personal lives of five
first-generation immigration lawyers in the Los Angeles area who
lean on each other for support as they help their clients navigate
an increasingly harsh immigration system and laws under the

Trump administration.

The film has received numerous awards and recognition, including

the Audience Award at the Palm Springs International ShortsFest in
2020, an Honorable Mention at the Prague International Film
Festival in 2020 and as the winner of the IF/Then Shorts American

West Pitch competition at the 2019 Big Sky Documentary Film
Festival. MABA partnered with the director to screen the film in an
effort to reach a broader audience on issues of fairness, equity

and justice that are central to MABA’s mission and work in our
communities

We were fortunate to be joined by the film’s director, Priscilla
Gonzalez, as well as the five immigration law attorneys and
longtime MABA supports who participated in the film, Alma

Puente, Gladdys Uribe, Elizabeth Uribe, Araceli Guerrero, and Jose
Osorio.

After the screening, Director Priscilla Gonzalez and the attorneys
shared their motivation for producing and participating in the film,
as well as the message they wanted to convey to audiences
watching the film: the importance of learning more about our often

unjust immigration system and laws, the crucial part that mentors
and colleagues play in helping immigration attorneys weather the
good and bad days in the profession, and the renewed hope that

we can all demand a fairer and more humane immigration system.

2021Volume 17 | Issue 1 | Page 16