When I started law school at the University of Texas, I wanted to work in the field of social justice. I decided to enroll in the Immigration Clinic as I knew I would be able to help because I could speak Spanish. My first assignment as a student at the Clinic was to visit the Hutto Immigrant Detention Center. It was here that I met with a detained family of asylum seekers who had a 5 month old baby girl, she was wearing a onesie issued by the prison.
The girl's mom asked me if I would hold her during our meeting because I smelled like the outside world. When I got up to leave, her mom asked me if I could sneak her baby girl out with me and take care of her until she could get out. Although I couldn’t do that, I did passionately represent the family in their successful asylum case.
The elation I felt at helping obtain that family’s release and securing their future coupled with the horror I felt at seeing children in jail made my choice easy: I will spend my career fighting for justice and dignity for immigrants!
