Summer Job Diaries: Internship at ImmDef Gives Rising 2L Experience Advocating for Immigration Clients

Briana Gonzalez ’28’s internship at Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) this summer helped reaffirm her goal of becoming an immigration attorney. She has worked on a range of court filings, including federal habeas petitions designed to secure the release of unaccompanied minors.

How did you land your summer job? 

This summer I am grateful to be a law clerk at Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef). I came into law school knowing I wanted to work in public interest. My career counselor, Rebecca Ruschell, mentioned during our introductory meeting that the Southern California Public Interest/Public Sector Career Day was a great opportunity to find a summer clerkship. During the Career Day in February, I interviewed with ImmDef and was offered a position on their Children Representation Program the next day. 

What is the most interesting part of your job? 

Before coming to Loyola, I was working with released unaccompanied minors and their sponsors in a community-education setting. I now get to experience a different side of this work and what an immigration attorney does day-to-day. I believe my supervisors have been great at assigning me a variety of tasks, including working on a Special Immigrant Juvenile petition state court filing, motions for immigration court, and filings with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Something that has been particularly interesting: I am also working with detained youth – unaccompanied minors who are still in Office of Refugee Resettlement custody awaiting reunification with a sponsor. Unfortunately, this process has gone from taking a couple of weeks to many months. I am learning about federal habeas petitions to help minors get released from custody. This is something I hope to keep exploring as the summer continues.

What has been your most challenging assignment thus far? 

I have been able to observe immigration court dockets, and I quickly became aware of the many challenges advocates are facing in court. I was assigned to assist with a motion to terminate removal proceedings. From my observations, I had seen many of these motions get denied due to changing immigration court policies. Because of these changes, immigration judges were no longer amenable to termination. In my motion, I worked to incorporate arguments about why the minor would merit a favorable exercise of judicial discretion in hopes that that this would persuade an individual analysis versus a blanket approach to the motion. The motion, however, was denied, but I hope to read the judge's decision to see what I can learn from it. Above all, I am learning a lot about how to advocate for clients during an administration that has taken aim at immigrants.

What new legal skill have you acquired during your summer job? 

I'm learning a lot about the importance of creative arguments. Currently, a lot of new case law is not favorable to immigrants. This is true even for particularly vulnerable groups that have historically been afforded greater protections. I've appreciated being able to shadow my supervisors and see how they, and the whole organization, are developing new arguments to advocate for clients. So far, I've tried thinking about how to implement this skill to motions I've been assigned and also when interpreting facts about a minor's case. 

What bit of legal knowledge have you been able to display? 

I have been able to use some of the skills I learned in Legal Research and Writing. So far, I have had to work on a few motions for immigration court. The writing organization skills I learned this year have been super helpful. I'm also excited to apply what I've learned in Legal Research when I began research for a minor's asylum case this summer. Apart from LRW, Introduction to Immigration Law with Professor Kevin Lapp allowed me to begin to familiarize myself with the Immigration and Nationality Act. This has been invaluable knowledge this summer. 

How has Loyola helped you map your career path? 

I have found great support from the public interest community at Loyola. My time at ImmDef has helped solidify my interest in becoming an immigration attorney. At every stage of securing this summer law clerk position, I've found people who have been able to help guide me. During my first year, I was able to attend many informative events, which really gave me a broad idea of the opportunities available in different public interest fields. My counselor, Rebecca, has also made herself available to answer my questions and concerns. In prepping for my interview with ImmDef, I was able to speak with a 2L, Stephanie Castillo, who had worked with them the previous summer.  Additionally, one of my current supervisors is a Loyola alum, and I hope to speak more with her about the resources she used as a law student.