UC law students pitch in to help immigrants assert their rights
April 3, 2017 •
UC Davis law students help green card holders apply for U.S. citizenship. Photo courtesy California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation
On a recent Saturday morning at the Mexican Consulate in Sacramento, dozens of UC Davis law students turned out to offer free legal assistance to throngs of anxious immigrants.
They helped some file papers for U.S. citizenship, and assisted others with designating authorized caregivers for their children, should they be deported.
Put together by UC Davis law students in conjunction with the Mexican Consulate and California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, the clinic is just one of the ways in which UC law students have stepped up in recent weeks to help meet a surging demand for legal services.
“Any immigration attorney you speak to right now is completely overwhelmed,” said Laura Flores-Dixit, a recent graduate of UC Davis Law School, who now works as an attorney for the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation. “People are afraid to take their kids to school or leave the house to get groceries. It’s hard to underestimate the fear.”
Hundreds of UC legal students have stepped into that fray, eager to put their training into action.
Read full story about how UC law students are helping immigrants.
