In 2019, nine intrepid Santa Clara Law students decided to bypass the traditional spring break of study and relaxation to devote the week to serving detained immigrants. The students traveled to Arizona, with law faculty Lynette Parker, Evangeline Abriel, and Pratheepan “Deep” Gulasekaram, to work for the week with the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project. Three of the students – Quetzalli Haro, Linette Salcedo, and Keuren Parra Moreno – worked with the Florence Project’s children’s program in Tucson, while the other six – Marili Iturbe Guardarrama, Christina Santora, Thania Lopez, Sharon Morales, Joaquin Torres, and Ozzy Hidalgo Otamendi – worked with the Project’s adult program in Florence. To prepare for the experience, the students went through two days of training on subjects such as removal proceedings, detention and bond, asylum, and special forms of relief for children. They share their experiences in the following blog posts.
Christina Santora 2L, Quetzali Haro 1L, Marili Iturbe Guaderama 2L, Sharon Morales 1L, Thania Lopez 3L, and Joaquin Torres 1L
And we’re off! Starting Spring break 2019 in the best way with good company. Lots of laughter and eagerness to get to work. One smooth flight, three hours, and 4 different rental cars later, we finally arrive at our hotel. We are greeted by a chilly desert night and plenty of tall cacti. Tomorrow, we set off to explore the St. Xavier Mission!
