LOS ANGELES – The Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic (LIJC) at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles will host a free public workshop to process at least 100 DACA renewals on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on the Law School’s downtown L.A. campus at 919 Albany St., Los Angeles, CA 90015.
Loyola attorneys present will include LIJC Co-Directors Marissa Montes ’12 and Emily Robinson ’12, as well as staff attorneys Alejandro Barajas ’15, Yanira Lemus ’15 and Sandra Ruiz ’14. Other alumni volunteers will also be on hand to help with processing. Staff attorneys will be available for interviews and will help arrange client interviews for media upon request.
The LIJC has been at the forefront of advocacy for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which provides temporary relief to those brought to the U.S. as children meeting certain age, status and education or military service requirements. It has intensified its efforts in the wake of significant changes promised by the Trump Administration, including a recent order rescinding the program.
Since January 2016, the LIJC already has assisted with more than 420 DACA applications and renewals. Now, with an impending Oct. 5, 2017 deadline for DACA recipients to file renewals, the LIJC is training volunteers to help with the additional workload and provide more assistance.
Loyola immigration-law experts have been a key part of the national dialogue on DACA, offering their perspectives to a variety of media outlets in the hope of providing some tangible actions and encouragement to those whose DACA status is in jeopardy. “It is very important to assess all of your legal options,” LIJC Co-Director Emily Robinson told KABC-TV in an interview, excerpted by NPR. “At this point, when we don’t know who is being prioritized and we’re unsure of enforcement actions, it’s very important to take the time to understand the entire legal landscape of your legal status.” Professor Kathleen Kim, faculty adviser to Loyola’s Immigrant Advocacy Concentration, helped assess exactly what is at stake for those enrolled in schools. “Depending on their state, students who lose their DACA status are at risk of losing their tuition eligibility,” Kim told PRI’s “The World.” “There are many schools that have proactively worked toward increasing scholarship funds for those and other undocumented students.” Elsewhere, LIJC attorneys opined on the impact DACA’s rescission will have on society. “DACA has impacted family stability and building of communities. It has allowed parents to work legally in the U.S. and earn an income in order to provide for their families, which include their own parents, their children and extended family members such as their siblings,” LIJC Co-Director Montes told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Amid last fall’s presidential election, the LIJC began expanding its DACA-specific outreach, deploying its staff attorneys to myriad site visits to explain the intricacies of DACA. Clinic staff attorneys regularly visit campuses like East Los Angeles College to consult with students. Additionally, the LIJC has seen record turnout at its regular intake events at East L.A.’s Homeboy Industries and Dolores Mission Church. As the need for immigration services escalates, Loyola staff attorneys, professors and students underscore their pride in Loyola’s commitment to public service. “We are fortunate to be part of Loyola Law School where we are truly trained to be lawyers for others,” said Robinson. Loyola Marymount University’s President, Timothy Law Snyder, also has come out strongly in support of undocumented students. Snyder has expressed his position publicly via Twitter, in interviews with news media including The Atlantic, and in a community letter where he stated “Since the advent of DACA, we have experienced its profound benefits for our students and its positive impacts on our university and our nation. Dreamers on our campus have been and are exemplary scholars and leaders. Thanks to DACA, these students and alumni have pursued opportunities in business, education, tech, and nonprofit sectors. They contribute actively to our communities and they strengthen our economy. They represent what is best about America, and they are essential to our future.”
About the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic
The Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic (LIJC) is the only law school-housed community-based immigration clinic in the United States. The LIJC’s dual-pronged mission is to advance the rights of the indigent immigrant population in East Los Angeles through direct legal services, education and community empowerment, while teaching law students effective legal skills and ethics in a real-world setting. More than 50 students have participated in the LIJC since its 2012 inception, assisting the clinic in conducting more than 10,000 client consultations. Learn more at http://www.lls.edu/lijc.
About Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
Located on an award-winning Frank Gehry-designed campus in downtown Los Angeles, Loyola Law School is home to prominent faculty, dedicated students and cutting-edge programs. The Law School strives to instill in students the knowledge they need to excel on their chosen paths. It dedicates itself to preparing students for the rigors of practice with an extensive portfolio of practical-training opportunities, a 17,000-strong alumni network and a focus on social justice. Learn more at www.lls.edu.
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Media contacts:
Journalists who wish to attend any part of the event should RSVP to:
Brian Costello
Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
Brian.Costello@lls.edu Tel. 213-736-1444
Or
Melissa Abraham
Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
Melissa.Abraham@lls.edu Tel. 213-736-1445