Written by Jonathon Mendez
This semester, I have worked along with the Immigration Legal Services at the Catholic Charities of Central Texas. This non-profit organization provides legal representation at a rate 60-80% less than the rate for hiring a private attorney. Not only does the Catholic Charities of Central Texas provide affordable legal representation, but they also provide a variety of legal services. The Immigration Legal team provides clients with services such as removal defense, Permanent Placement Card renewal or replacement, visas for victims of human trafficking, and other family-based immigration legal services. The Catholic Charities of Central Texas is the largest program that provides family-based immigration services in Central Texas. Another service that the CCCTX also provides is helping Deferred Action for Student Arrivals, or DACA. This service is actually provided to students on our campus, as well as other campuses, so that students can achieve attaining a college degree. Needless to say, the Immigration Legal Services provides a lot of people quality representation so they may strive to live a better life in the United States and flee the potential dangers in their other country.
My job consisted of a couple tasks. The first task was to upload forms to the correct case folders on FastVisa. FastVisa is the program the immigration team uses to sort out the cases and update the client on the status of their specific case. FastVisa also gives the attorneys a way to easily access all the up to date case updates so they can continue to help the clients in a timely manner. Another one of my tasks included creating appointments and reminders for the attorneys on their Outlook calendar. In the immigration law arena, being updated on the progress of each case and being reminded which cases need immediate attention is very crucial to the job. Especially having clients who may not be experienced in the law field, it could become a challenge. Therefore, making sure my updates are timely and in the correct place is just as important.
Not only was this internship really important, it also was very flexible. Being able to work virtual and not having to go into an office to work saved me so much time and worked well with my schedule being a student athlete. My supervisors were so understanding when I needed to take a break from uploading emails and focused on my school work. I am actually able to continue working with them even after this fall semester. I plan to help with this project for as long as I can to continue to provide help in a small way for a good cause.
My job itself may not seem very impactful, but the lessons I have learned from this experience is immeasurable. Being exposed to the law field gave me incredible insight to not only the day-to-day life of an attorney, but also challenged me to time manage more effectively. Also, working this internship gives me confidence to look forward towards entering the workforce. I would highly recommend this position for anyone who wants to get a glimpse of what a lawyer has to go through without having to worry about the demanding time and effort that other positions may have. The all virtual and welcoming work environment keeps me coming back and will invite you with open arms.
This was a very interesting read Jonathon,
Catholic Charities of Central Texas works very closely with St. Edwards DACAmented students to help easy with the cost of legal fees; it’s so awesome that you got the opportunity to work with them!
I would like to ask you, if there is something you could change about your internship experience, what would it be?
What an amazing internship to work for! Any small amount of aid is meaningful I think, and the fact that you aim to continue working at it speaks volumes. It’s really wonderful to see a service like this provided for such people in need. I hope you find it rewarding.