Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Clinic Changes Lives with Immigration Work

The Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center had a busy and productive Summer and Fall this year.  Thanks to the work performed by its many law students, the KGACLC also became the stage for the resolution of complex issues faced by its clients in the areas of Immigration, Workers’ Rights, Workers’ Compensation and Consumer Rights.  The purpose of the current sequence of similar articles is to acknowledge our students and their work, and to applaud our hard-working clients who, in many cases, are the recipients of life-changing relief in one of the Community Law Center’s legal areas. 

In Immigration, students literally changed lives when their efforts resulted in immigration relief for their clients.  These involved eight successful cases under VAWA (the Violence Against Women Act), five successful U-visas, (reserved for victims of crimes), one granted political asylum case, one granted permanent residence case for a minor, and a humanitarian reinstatement case.  In some cases, students continued the work done by students from a previous semester(s), and sometimes students achieved a resolution within the same semester.

These are the U-Visas:

Merrill Hoult (3L) worked tireless on the cases of Ms. A and her mother and sister.  Ms. A, a minor, was raped and prostituted by her father.  She and her mother informed law enforcement and Ms. A bravely appeared in court to testify.  For her courage and cooperation, Citizenship and Immigration Services granted her, her mother and sister lawful status and work authorization for her mother.  Ms. A and her family continue to receive counseling and assistance as they rebuild their lives.

Jenny Ross (3L) and Jessica Johnston (3L) successfully represented Ms. S.  Jenny and Jessica spent many hours preparing declarations, a list of supporting documents and a detailed cover letter in this case.  Ms. S, a minor, was the victim of sexual assault by a family member.  She, her grandmother, and father reported the incident and cooperated with law enforcement in both the investigation and prosecution of the crime.  As a result of Jenny and Jessica’s work, Citizenship and Immigration Services granted Ms. S and her father lawful status and work authorization.

Marco Campagna (SCU law graduate), Michael Andura Miranda (3L), and John Nguyen (SCU law graduate) worked assiduously on behalf of their clients, minors who were victims of sexual assault, and their families.  Marco, Michael and John prepared forms and supporting documents for the successful applications on behalf of their clients.  For their courage and cooperation, Citizenship and Immigration Services granted the young victims and their families lawful status and work authorization in the United States.