RIF Asylum Support
We empower asylum seekers with timely, accessible, and trustworthy legal orientation
We transform complex immigration changes into clear, actionable steps—offering clarity, protection from exploitation, and the tools to navigate uncertainty with confidence.
Through weekly legal sessions, a multilingual resource library, and broad community outreach, we ensure that information is not just legal—it’s human.
Meet Our Team
Operations Staff:
Maria Blacque-Belair, Founder/Executive Director
Maria has worked with several international humanitarian organizations worldwide, delivering medical care and food aid in war zones and disaster-stricken regions. In 2006, she founded RIF Asylum Support based in New York City. She speaks French, English, and Spanish.
Mariella Cárdenas Torres, Program Coordinator
Mariella oversees the day-to-day operations of RIF Asylum Support, coordinating closely with team members and partners to ensure smooth program delivery. With a professional background in communications, content creation, and education, she has over eight years of experience leading diverse teams and producing high-quality resources. As an asylum seeker herself, Mariella brings a unique perspective to developing and managing RIF’s information and tools for asylum seekers and service providers, ensuring they are accurate, accessible, and deeply informed by the realities of the community.
Romain N’Dri, African Community Communications & Content Specialist
Romain creates timely updates on immigration policies affecting asylum seekers, tailored for RIF’s Francophone African community on social media. He has a professional background in communications and logistics. A native of Côte d’Ivoire, Romain sought asylum in Morocco, where he now resides.
Legal Team:
Cassandra Esteban Brusi, Consulting Attorney
Cass is a consulting attorney with RIF NYC and an associate attorney at the Samokhleb & Bitterman Law Group. A graduate of the NYU School of Law, Cass has spent the entirety of her legal career defending immigrants’ rights at a variety of private law firms and not-for-profit organizations. She is proudest of the pro bono work she’s done on behalf of Central American survivors of gender-based violence, which includes the published victory in Castellanos-Ventura v. Garland, 118 F.4th 250 (2d Cir. 2024).
Paulina Leyva, Immigration & Detention Fellow Expert
Brian Duggan, Immigration and Asylum Attorney
Legal Navigators:
Fabienne Peyrat, Legal Navigator
Fabienne has many years of experience working with RIF providing asylum orientation and reviewing asylum applications on a case-by-case basis. She speaks French and English.
Carol Skyrm, Legal Navigator
Carol speaks French and English. She reviews asylum applications on a case-by-case basis. Carol is also member of the RIF Board.
Tanzilya Oren, Legal Navigator
Tanzilya is a NYS-licensed Master Social Worker. After a career in civil society development abroad, in Uzbekistan and South Africa. Since 2010, she has worked in New York in the area of immigrant services.
Mental Health and Emotional Support:
Madelyn Miller, RIF Mental Health Advisor
Madelyn Miller, PhD, LCSW, works with adult survivors of trauma and loss in her psychotherapy practice and community work and teaches and trains on these issues.
Legal Partners:
Co-Counsel NYC
Co-Counsel provides monthly legal consultations for RIF’s asylum seekers community. Through its nonprofit legal services, Co-Counsel partners with community-based organizations, law firms, and companies to respond to the emerging, complex, and ever-changing legal needs of immigrant communities. They provide training, supervision, co-counseling, and community education.