 The continual success of competent legal representation prompted Tahirih 's enlargement . The last publicly reported rate of approval for asylum applications in the U.S. before 2001 was 23 @.@ 3 % . Applications written by the Tahirih Justice Center had a 99 % success rate , a figure it continues to maintain . The organization hired its first paid staff in August 1998 and had expanded to 36 employees by 2010 . The organizational structure has grown and Tahirih has expanded nationally , adding an office in Houston , TX in 2009 and one in Baltimore , MD in 2010 , all while assisting more than 13 @,@ 000 people since opening its doors . Tahirih clients come from five continents — North America , South America , Europe , Africa , and Asia , and from nations such as Mexico , Argentina , Algeria , Mongolia , Turkey , South Africa , Iran , and Syria . 
