On Friday, September 5, 2014, 40 undocumented children were brought to FIU Law with the hope that they would have the chance to make a life for themselves in the United States. This effort is the first of its kind for the law school and includes a partnership with Americans for Immigrant Justice (AIJ), FIU Law’s Immigrant Children’s Justice Clinic and many student volunteers.
This intake/screening blitz offers second and third year law students, some of whom are enrolled in the Immigrant Children’s Justice Clinic, the opportunity to earn law school credit while representing immigrant youth who arrive in the U.S. without their parents. The eligible children are taken to the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida’s Juvenile Court to determine if there was abuse or neglect in their home country so they can apply for special immigrant juvenile status and for permanent residence in the U.S.
Under the supervision and direction of Clinical Professor Mary Gundrum, whose background includes work with the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center and Legal Aid, FIU Law students will conduct an in-depth screening of the children and collect their personal stories.
Applying what the law students learn in the classroom to real life is a valuable component to the FIU Law school experience.
“This work gives students a wonderful opportunity to help determine if these immigrant children have claims allowing them to remain in the U.S.,” Professor Gundrum shared.
AIJ, whose mission is to protect and promote the basic human rights of immigrants through a variety of services, litigation and policy reform, coordinated bringing the children to the law school. The children currently reside in His House Children’s Home which provides residential care for abused, abandoned and neglected children in a home-like setting.
Following the intake, qualified children will move on to step two which includes legal representation through the Immigrant Children’s Justice Clinic. The child will be assigned a law student who will begin the process of drafting a petition for dependency and appearing in court to argue the child’s case.
FIU Law will host intake screenings every Friday throughout the semester. Law students in the Clinical Program not only work these cases, but also spend two days a week at AIJ conducting interviews, appear in Immigration Court and travel to children’s homes throughout the city interviewing undocumented children.
“FIU can be proud of the many student volunteers who stepped up to help these children. With their help, the partnership between FIU and AIJ is strengthened and many children will not have to stand alone the Courts,” Gundrum stated.