Hidden Gems: Meet Rekha Sharma-Crawford

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rekha Sharma-Crawford.

Hi Rekha, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started out in the District Attorney’s Office in Wichita, Kansas, and stumbled upon the world of immigration litigation. I never thought this would be an area of law I would practice, but I find the work to melt my law-nerd heart.

I believe in the people we help and the American Dream they so much want to be a part of.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
They say that dark must exist to really appreciate the light. The road has not always been calm, or even straight, but it has been a lesson in persistence and resilience.

Immigration in the United States is heavily tied to politics and as the political landscape changes, so does the practice. To make it even harder, the middle of the country is often insulated from the migrant human tragedies that play out on either coast or either border. The Midwest doesn’t always fully see how truly broken the system is because by the time the issues reach the middle of the country, they are largely watered down.

Helping elevate or even motivate the conversation is sometimes a difficult, and steep climb.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Sharma-Crawford Attorneys At Law, LLC?
We are a small law firm in the middle of the country that has managed to go big in every way. From winning and losing at the Supreme Court to having a Federal Appeals Court demand CBP wait at the port of entry in San Ysidro with medicine for a wrongfully removed client, we have taken on some really amazing battles for justice.

We have been blessed to be a part of so many people’s immigration journeys. The cases we take are sometimes challenging and almost always complex, but we tend to love being the underdog. In the end, all people are the same. They just want someone to fight for them because they matter. This is what we try to do as hard as we can.

We also started a nonprofit in 2012 to try and help those who could not afford representation in Immigration Court. It has been a 10-year labor of love that has helped thousands of families who would have otherwise not had the ability to obtain affordable legal representation while they fought against removal.

Finally, most recently, I authored a children’s book, Aaliyah The Brave, Empowering Children Coping with Immigration Enforcement, to give voice to those children who are ensnared in the aftermath of immigration enforcement. Designed as a resource for parents, teachers, social workers, advocates and lawyers, the book helps readers understand the impact immigration enforcement can have on children and what emotions children may feel in the aftermath. There is no such resource previously available. The book is available for pre-order on Amazon (English and Spanish) and Barns and Noble (English and Spanish).

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Running a small business is hard but it is never been as hard as during a global pandemic.

The field of law tends to be slow to embrace technology and when COVID hit, we had no choice but to be creative and innovative in order to keep the lights on and to make sure the clients were taken care of. In March of 2020, I would have told you there was no way.

Today, I say, we found a way.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://sharma-crawford.com/
• Instagram: @sharma.crawford
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SharmaCrawford
• Twitter: @515law
• Other: https://theclinickc.org/ | https://www.rekhasharmacrawford.com/

Image Credits
JILL TOYOSHIBA – for image of America runs on Immigrants
QBN Studios – for the illustrations on the book