UNM Law Students Serve Immigrants at the Border
July 26, 2024
Six students from the UNM School of Law participated in the inaugural clinic at the Border Service Corps over Spring Break as part of the Border Justice Initiative’s Spring Break Intensive course.
Ari Burks, a Border Justice Fellow working with the students and two instructors at the event called the Border Service Day a “memorable event that allowed students, non-profits, faculty, and attorneys to work collaboratively and provide much-needed legal assistance for newly arriving immigrants.”
Participating in the event gave many of the students their first experience with the complexities of the immigration process as they worked to provide newly arriving immigrants with information on applying for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). This assistance can be life-changing for newly arriving immigrants because an EAD, or “work permit,” allows eligible individuals to work in the United States.
Students provided information to the arriving immigrants about the USCIS CBP one application, which allows arriving immigrants to receive an I-94 arrival/departure document and a Notice to Appear. Once in the United States with these documents, these individuals are allowed to apply for an EAD by filling out and filing a form I-765. The role the students provided was essential for these arriving immigrants as they aided in organizing and translating the often confusing and overwhelming documents required to receive an EAD.
Understanding the complex procedures and forms involved in the immigration process is a significant hurdle for those seeking to enter and work legally in the United States. Horatio Moreno-Campos, an Albuquerque Immigration Attorney and instructor on the trip, said of the immigration process, “Many of the immigrants coming to this country never receive any sort of legal status, not because they have nefarious intentions, but rather because they get bogged down in the mire of confusing paperwork, exorbitant filing fees, and astonishingly long wait times.” The aid provided by the Border Justice Initiative is described by Burks as “a huge relief to those who have a long journey ahead of them in the United States seeking legal status through permanent asylum.”
By “utilizing the combined knowledge, expertise, and willpower of everyone involved,” Burks, law students, and instructors were able to make a small but meaningful impact on newly arriving immigrants by translating documents, guiding through the process, and providing a beacon of hope to those who had just finished one long journey and are embarking on another.
The Border Justice Initiative hopes to continue this mode of service and make another trip to the border in the Summer or Fall of 2024.
