By: Jade Heider
This summer I interned at Valverde Law, PLLC, under Professor Hugo Valverde. As a rising 3L I knew that this summer was important to confirm what type of law I wanted to practice after graduation. I have always had an interest in immigration law, and a heart for helping the immigrant community, which led me to take Professor Valverde’s immigration course last fall. I ended up learning so much about the complexities of the immigration system and knew that this was something I wanted to get hands-on experience with. I then took his practicum course which solidified my calling in immigration law and was hugely beneficial to figuring out what the calling practically looks like. During the practicum I was able to interview clients, prepare forms for applications, and actually get to send out the applications. While this was an amazing experience for me, it also greatly benefited the clients, as the firm was handling their cases pro bono.
In many ways this summer was a continuation of the cases from the practicum, and I finished off the applications of several clients that I started in the spring. I also got to work on some new applications as well! I worked on two T-visas, for survivors of labor trafficking, four U-visas, for survivors of crimes in the US, and a Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) case, for an abused spouse. It was moving to talk to the clients about their experiences, and be a part of them receiving justice.
A delicate part of working with these clients was helping them draft their Declarations. These were essentially a summary of what crime happened to them, and the harm it caused them. It is in emotionally charged projects that I find I am best able to show God’s love to clients. In a particular set of cases, three legal migrant workers were extorted by their boss for money, falsely accused of theft, and threatened to have ICE called on them. The type of dehumanizing behavior described in their Declarations was saddening to read and edit, especially so since it happened in the area. In another, the supporting evidence for her Declaration included sifting through photos of physical abuse, and the destruction of her household. While this was very serious to read through, as Regent Law always says, attorneys have the opportunity to be counselors and healers. I was reading the worst experiences of these people’s lives, and I was able to help them by editing their statements for their application. While this is a weighty task, I was honored to assist clients.
I also immensely enjoyed meeting clients from all over the world. It is always good to be around people who are different from yourself. This summer I was able to meet clients from Afghanistan, India, and Mexico. While I was able to help Christian missionaries with an adjustment of status, and a Christian pastor with an application for travel documents, I also was able to help Islamic clients. While many clients spoke English, some also had translators. This summer was a wonderful reminder to me that the world is wide, and I have been inspired to learn a second language. Additionally, being at the office allowed me to try different types of Mexican and Peruvian food!
Another valuable experience I had was being able to shadow Professor Valverde at United States Citizen and Immigration Services(USCIS) interviews. In the American immigration system, after a client’s file is submitted, they will have to go before a USCIS officer for an interview, and the officer will ensure that all the information is correct and that they meet the eligibility requirements. Interviews before USCIS officers are not adversarial like in court, and are meant to be more of a conversation. However a new rule has made it harder for those specifically seeking asylum. This rule was implemented in late July of this year, and gives asylum officers the ability to send applications directly to an immigration judge without meeting the applicant. This is a detrimental change for those seeking asylum, because unlike the interview, going before an immigration judge is adversarial as there are government attorneys arguing against your case. The new rule, in addition to the recent mass firings of many immigration judges, have served to make finding asylum hard for many people who have gone through so much already in their own country.
I was able to go to two USCIS interviews this summer, an adjustment of status interview and an asylum interview. The adjustment of status interview was at the Norfolk USCIS office and was fairly short. However the asylum interview was located in Arlington and was much longer. Since this interview was close to D.C. the office was naturally much busier. This was also a much more tense meeting as there was an alert that someone was to be detained while waiting for their interview. While I did not see the detention, someone was indeed detained despite going through the legal process. The actual asylum interview itself was interesting to witness, and the particular client I was with had been waiting for many years for his interview. I was honored to hear his story, and be able to sit in on this important moment.
One thing this summer has made abundantly clear to me is that immigration law is frustrating at times. But this summer has also made my calling even more clear to me. Though our immigration system is dysfunctional at times, I want to provide diligent service to those who must go through it. Interning at Valverde Law reminded me that God is in control. It can be easy to forget the humanity of people who are different from oneself, but my summer internship allowed me to live out the reminder that we are all image bearers worthy of dignity.
This post was written by a student at Regent University School of Law. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.