Summary: The University of Minnesota’s Law School has started a legal clinic with three centers to serve immigrants in the Minneapolis area.
The Albert Lea Tribune has revealed that the University of Minnesota’s Law School has created a way to help immigrants engaged in legal issues stay in the United States.
As of this fall, the law school has opened the Center for New Americans. The law school received funding from the Robina Foundation to support legal services for immigrant communities nationwide. The center will utilize both local nonprofits and law firms to help clients for free and to influence the reform of immigration laws in the United States.
Director Benjamin Casper said that the center focuses on immigrants who are facing a threat of deportation, language barrier and very little knowledge of the legal system. Students will also gain valuable learning experience from assisting these clients in the legal clinic.
“The resources here give the law school an opportunity to make an impact on the students and, in turn, the immigrants they serve,” Casper said of the new program.
The law school will have three clinics available to serve the community, and thirty students will participate in these clinics. The Federal Immigration Litigation Clinic, the Detainee Rights Clinic, and the Immigration and Human Rights clinic will all be available to the public. Students will even be able to write briefs and argue cases in court when necessary, a rare experience for law students.
Students began analyzing and working on cases this past summer with law professors to prepare for the opening of the center. The group has already successfully petitioned for a deportation case to be heard by the Supreme Court.
Minneapolis will be an excellent location for the new immigration law center. Casper explained that the state of Minnesota has a large amount of refugees, as well as a track record of performing pro bono work. “The impact of creating an ethic of public service in a community this size will really reinforce the strong culture of pro bono service,” Casper said.
Photo credit: umn.edu