Students will work with RAICES attorneys to assist women and children in immigration detention in Karnes City, Texas. Students will assist attorneys in client interviews and in the preparation of documents related to the initial stages of detainees’ asylum claims (credible fear interviews and requests for reconsideration of credible fear findings). Immigrant mothers and children detained in Karnes currently are subject to a rapid credible fear screening process, often without advice or assistance from counsel. If they receive a negative credible fear finding, and that finding stands, they can be deported very quickly to face dangerous conditions in their home country. Assistance during the credible fear screening process will provide these families with an opportunity to establish that they meet the basic requirements for asylum and are entitled to remain in the U.S. pending full asylum proceedings. Students will be housed in San Antonio and travel to Karnes Monday-Thursday. Students must arrive in San Antonio by 3pm on Sunday, January 10 and will return to Austin from Karnes City on the evening of Thursday, January 14.
Organization
RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services)
RAICES promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees in Central and South Texas.
Project Details
- Website
- http://www.raicestexas.org
- Project Start Date
January 10-14, 2016
- Approximate hours of work requested
- 40 hours
- Training
- A training session will be held Sunday, January 10, starting at 3pm (San Antonio, Location TBD)
- Skills used
- Client interviewing/intake; legal writing; document preparation
- Project location
- San Antonio, TX and Karnes City, TX
- Address
- 5121 Crestway Drive, # 105, San Antonio, TX 78239
- Number of student volunteers requested
- 4
- Class year preference
- 1L, 2L, 3L, LLM
- Required skills
- Language: Strong skills in reading and writing Spanish strongly preferred
- To Apply
- Submit email stating interest to Andrea Marsh at amarsh@law.utexas.edu no later than 5pm on Sunday, January 3