By: Alyssa Isberto
Interning for Just Law International and Jubilee Campaign these past few weeks have been amazing. I love the work that Just Law International does for those seeking refuge in the U.S. and I am inspired by the work Jubilee does for international religious freedom.
Afghan Refugees
During the second half of my internship, I did a lot more work for Just Law. This gave me a greater opportunity to be more involved in some of the cases. One of these cases concerned Afghan refugees escaping the Taliban. One day, an Afghan woman came to our office to try to get her brother and sister to the U.S. I was given the opportunity to sit in on her consultation and work on drafting a humanitarian parole request for both her siblings. Working on specific client cases was a really great experience because I saw the human-aspect of the legal work I was doing. I was extra careful as I was going through the case file multiple times–making sure I didn’t miss anything. It was crucial for them to come to the U.S. because their lives were in danger.
North Korea Freedom Coalition
In my last week at the internship, I was able to attend a dinner hosted by the North Korea Freedom Coalition. One of our attorneys is the vice chairman, and Jubilee Campaign is very involved as a partner in the work the coalition does. This was an amazing event to end my internship with because I got to see how Jubilee supports other non-profit organizations and how all these groups work together towards freedom for all. I learned about the different methods used to reach out to North Koreans. Most importantly, I got to meet a group of North Korean defectors who now attend school in South Korea. This was a great full circle moment because I started my internship with writing a UPR on South Korea and ended with meeting North Korean defectors now living in South Korea.
Jubilee
At one point during my internship, someone asked me why Jubilee Campaign was named the way it was. One of the reasons was because the “campaigning” for the release of detained and imprisoned Christians was founded in a room in the British Parliament called “Jubilee.” The other reason was because of the year of jubilee, as seen in the bible. The year of jubilee was a year of reset. It was a year in which people who were working off a debt were set free. The name reminds us of setting captives free. I reflected a lot about the work that I did for Just Law and Jubilee, and found myself being reminded of the blessings in my life. When I think about Just Law, I think about how hard my mom worked to immigrate to the U.S. and give us a better life. When I think about Jubilee, I am reminded of the blessing to freely practice my religion. It reminds me to never take anything for granted and to continue fighting until everyone is free.
This post was written by a Center for Global Justice Student Staff member. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.