When people think of Florida certain images come to mind: the beach, Disney World, alligators, etc. However, to many people another image comes to mind…immigrants. The state of Florida has the third largest immigrant population in the country. Therefore, U.S. immigration laws have a lasting effect on many Florida residents and their children.
Immigration law is a controversial issue. It is also a complex and ever-changing area of law and it is what brought me to law school. I did not grow up dreaming of being a lawyer. I originally wanted to be a Spanish teacher. However, a semester teaching English in Central America changed my future for ever. Seeing the other side of what drives many people to come to the U.S. sparked an interest in immigration. I later became involved with teaching English to farm workers many of whom had heartbreaking stories. After these experiences, I knew I wanted to go to law school to become an immigration attorney.
Not being from Florida originally, I assumed there would be numerous classes, clinics, and externships dealing with immigration law. However, upon entering law school I realized that was not the case. I learned quickly that I would have to make my own way into the field of immigration. After taking the immigration law course offered at UF, I spent a summer working with the Department of Justice at the Orlando Immigration Court as a summer law clerk. It was an amazing experience to be able to see how the system works and witness first-hand the difficult decisions the immigration judges are faced with on a daily basis.
After this opportunity, I was accepted as a Florida Bar Public Interest Law Fellow at the Center for Governmental Responsibility. I was excited to be involved in public interest law, however I wanted to somehow do public interest immigration law but there were no programs out there. The director of the fellowship program, Tim Mclendon, worked with me to develop a public interest fellowship that dealt with immigration law. A local Gainesville immigration attorney, Mr. Evan George agreed to accept me as a public interest fellow. Mr. George agreed to take pro bono immigration cases that I would work on under his supervision.
This work has been the most rewarding thing I have done in law school. The cases are complex and diverse. Many of them are heart wrenching, but the clients are unbelievably grateful. I have been able to assist with many cases including political asylum, Cuban Adjustment, Haitian temporary protective status, domestic violence visas, and visas for victims of crimes. As immigrants in deportation proceedings are not appointed counsel, the majority of them face removal alone. Oftentimes they are the victims of fraud from people in their communities that prey on their lack of knowledge of the U.S. immigration laws. They pay expensive fees to people who are not attorneys and receive nothing in return. Many come to the U.S. to try and make a better life for their families or to escape persecution they experienced in their home countries.
The opportunity to assist the immigrant population in Gainesville has been a very rewarding experience. It reaffirms daily my decision to become an attorney, and I am happy to report that The Florida Bar Foundation has decided to continue this placement in the future. If you are interested in becoming a Florida Bar Public Interest Law Fellow please contact the Center for Governmental Responsibility at the UF Levin College of Law, or if you would like more information on immigration law contact the UF Immigration Law Association.
Amber Seay is a 2009-10 Public Interest Law Fellow. The Public Interest Law Fellowship Program is funded by The Florida Bar Foundation to promote public interest law, and offered at the Levin College of Law by the Center for Governmental Responsibility.
