Four of Santa Clara Law’s own lent their expertise and skills to aid Afghan refugees with their asylum status applications.
Vicente Lovelace 3L, Lauren Loeb 2L, Joshua Abeyta J.D. ‘23, and Jonathan Cineas J.D. ‘23 pitched in to help Afghan refugees through a clinic organized by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)’s Santa Clara Valley Chapter. In late March, these students received training in advance and spent several days working with Afghan clients and families to prepare applications.
The United States has recently paroled more than 77,000 Afghans into its borders as part of a massive resettlement effort, dubbed Operation Allies Welcome. This parole allowed Afghans to enter under temporary status, but more permanent positions—such as asylum—were still left in the air. Such applications are challenging for an individual to complete without legal representation. AILA and many non-profit law offices have marshaled forces to provide that representation, but their resources are stretched thin.