UC Immigrant Legal Services Center to Host Free Consultations
[Cross-post from The Daily Californian]
The UC Immigrant Legal Services Center will hold free online immigration consultations for UC employees with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, status June 10.
The center will offer confidential expert screenings in partnership with volunteer attorneys to help UC staff, faculty and student employees with DACA at any UC campus identify potential permanent or alternative immigration options to obtain legal status, according to a press release from the UC Office of the President, or UCOP.
Operating out of the UC Davis School of Law, the center’s primary function is to assist immigration legal needs for students and their families, as well as campus staff and faculty, across nine UC campuses — not including UC Berkeley, which has an established relationship with local nonprofit legal services — according to director of strategic initiatives and staff attorney Anna Manuel.
According to UCOP, this service can cost hundreds of dollars with private attorneys and is not currently offered at community-based or nonprofit organizations. The ability to receive free screening for family, humanitarian and employment-based immigration relief, Manuel noted, is a unique service that the center is offering.
While the center has a lot of experience working with undocumented student programs and there are a significant number of UC employees with DACA, Manuel noted this service will be the first of its kind for UC employees specifically. Additionally, she said the online format for service allows for many UC employees with DACA to be consulted at once.
Manuel noted the importance of their volunteer immigration attorneys being experienced in areas of law outside of immigration law, as they understand the intersection of different areas of law in immigration screenings.
“(We’re) so pleased with the amount of volunteer services and getting the conversation going to do this with the state of DACA,” Manuel said. “I hope that it inspires others to do the same kind of workshops.”
Currently, there is only one workshop scheduled for June 10, according to Manuel. Those who were unable to register before the deadline or make it into a scheduled appointment are able to join a waiting list, she added. Manuel also noted the center is considering continuing to offer this service after determining the demand.
According to Manuel, this service comes in response to the latest DACA court rulings and aims to inform people of their potential alternative options for immigration relief.
“Looking ahead, the primary purpose is to see that folks know about any immigration relief available to them,” Manuel said. “We thought it would be a small thing we can do to help and let people know if they qualify for something other than DACA.”