Students will interview women asylum seekers detained at the T. Don Hutto Detention Center in Taylor, Texas and help them prepare for their initial credible fear interviews (CFIs), the first step in the asylum process. Immigrant women detained at the Hutto facility are forced through a rapid CFI procedure, which involves disclosing to a government officer the reasons they are seeking protection in the United States, often without advice or assistance from counsel and without a full understanding of the U.S. asylum process. If their CFI results in a negative finding, they can be deported very quickly to face dangerous conditions in their home countries. If it results in a favorable finding, the women are entitled to remain in the U.S. pending full asylum proceedings. Experience has shown that people who are able to meet with legal service providers before their CFIs are better able to convey the reasons they fear return to their home countries.
Organization
Texas Law Immigration Clinic
The Immigration Clinic represents vulnerable low-income immigrants from all over the world before the immigration and federal courts and the Department of Homeland Security. The Women in Immigration Detention Assistance Project is being conducted in partnership with American Gateways and the Richard and Ginni Mithoff Pro Bono Program.
Project Details
- Project Start Date
September 2019
- Approximate hours of work requested
- 5.5 hours, plus 2 hours training; students must be available from 12:30pm - 6pm on at least one of the following dates: Saturday, September 21; Friday, October 11; Saturday, October 26; Friday, November 1; Friday, November 15; and Saturday, November 23
- Training
- Tuesday, September 10, 6pm-8pm (TNH 2.124)
- Skills used
- Client interviewing/intake; community education/outreach
- Project location
- T. Don Hutto Immigration Detention Center, Taylor, TX; Mithoff Program will arrange carpools from the law school
- Number of student volunteers requested
- 36
- Class year preference
- 1L, 2L, 3L, LLM
- Required skills
- Languages: Spanish and/or other foreign language skills helpful but not necessary
- To Apply
- Submit an email stating the following: (1) Spanish language ability (fluent = able to interview without an interpreter/able to interpret; moderate = some ability but would need interpreter/unable to serve as interpreter; none), (2) all project dates you are available, and (3) the number of dates you are willing to travel to Sarah Sedgwick at ssedgwick@law.utexas.edu. Applicants who speak Spanish will receive priority consideration for some volunteer openings. Please note: If you would like to attend the trip on September 21, you will need to provide copies of two forms of identification as well as your social security number to be cleared for entry to the detention center to Sarah Sedgwick by September 10. You may also bring photocopies of your required documents to the training on September 10. Acceptable forms of identification include a valid state issued driver license and one of the following: University of Texas ID, valid passport, military ID, concealed handgun license, Social Security card, or birth certificate.