Michelle Martínez (’14), Fellow in BU Law’s Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, Receives Department of Justice Attorney General’s Honors 奖学金

2014届毕业生将加入移民审查执行办公室，作为她司法部奖学金的一部分。

In the summer of 2009, (Dianna) Michelle Martínez (’14) interned for the New York Attorney General’s Civil Rights Bureau. 在这个职位上，她帮助那些被移民服务机构诈骗的移民。 “I spoke with hundreds of people who had been taken advantage of in their efforts to navigate a complicated immigration system,” Martínez says. “After that, I was determined to work in immigration law to provide the kind of counsel and advocacy that this community needs.”

When she began applying to law schools, BU Law’s Immigrants’ Rights Clinic (IRC) and many 公益性服务 机会 made it a natural choice.

Martínez在她21岁的时候作为学生律师开始参加IRC。 She returned as a research assistant during her 3L year, and following graduation, received a BU Law 公共服务奖学金 to continue her work with the clinic as a legal fellow. “I became so invested in so many of my clients’ cases that I wanted the opportunity to continue working with them for an additional year,” Martínez says.

In addition to the IRC, Martínez participated in a 公益性服务 spring break trip to Harlingen, Texas, where she worked with children who had recently crossed the border and been placed in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. 她参加了“了解你的权利”讲座，向移民儿童介绍他们在法律下的权利，并帮助两个年幼的孩子为遗嘱认证法庭听证会做准备。

“The courses I took at BU Law, as well as the clinical experiences, 公益性服务 trips, and other extracurricular activities, provided me with a great foundation as I pursued a career in immigration law,” Martínez says. “And the 公共服务奖学金 has provided me with the opportunity to continue developing my advocacy skills.”

作为一名法律人员，Martínez已经能够看到她作为2L开始工作的许多案件的结案，同时接受新案件并获得进一步的实践经验。 “My very first client as a student attorney was an Ecuadorian woman who had endured years of domestic abuse,” she says. “She finally received her U Visa in October 2014, and it was such a rewarding experience to be able to tell her—after years of waiting and several challenges along the way—that we had finally succeeded.”

目前大约有21名客户，他们都处于移民案件的不同阶段，Martínez指出，在IRC的每一天对她来说都是不同的。 在任何一天，她都可能会见客户； 请医生、学者或者其他专家提供专家声明或者其他案件证明材料； 新濠影汇线上赌场研究国家情况； 与国外代理机构或刑事辩护律师沟通； 或起草摘要或法律备忘录。

自该奖学金于9月启动以来，Martínez已代表两名残疾儿童进行了庇护面谈，并代表一名危地马拉年轻妇女参加了美国公民及移民服务局的适应面谈。 今年6月，她将代表一名索马里妇女参加波士顿移民法庭的一场防御性庇护听证会。

她说：“与IRC的奖学金为我提供了广泛的实践经验，帮助我成为一名更强有力的倡导者。” “I have a great support system at the clinic—朱迪钻石, 莱拉Hlass, and 莎拉Sherman-Stokes have been fantastic mentors, and I’m very appreciative of how much they’ve contributed to my growth as a young attorney. I couldn’t imagine having a better support system during my first year as a practicing immigration attorney.”

这个职位已经成为其他机会的跳板：她最近获得了司法部司法部长荣誉奖学金，这是同类项目中规模最大、最负盛名的新濠影汇赌场入门级律师招聘项目。 在8月底完成移民权利诊所的新濠影汇线上赌场研究后，Martínez将开始在纽约市移民审查执行办公室（EOIR）担任为期两年的职员，这是她新濠影汇线上赌场研究的一部分。 在EOIR中，她将为纽约移民法院的法官进行法律新濠影汇线上赌场研究并起草法官备忘录和判决。

“The New York Immigration Court has one of the largest caseloads, nationwide,” Martínez says. “I’m confident that the clerkship will help me learn about other areas of immigration law that I haven’t yet experienced, and make me a better, more well-rounded advocate for immigrant communities.”

展望未来，Martínez计划继续倡导移民的权利。 “My goal is to be an immigration attorney and to work for a legal services organization in either Boston or New York City,” she says. “I find this work exceptionally rewarding, whether it is counseling immigrants about available forms of relief or telling a client that his or her application has been approved.”

BU Law student Kate Lebeaux (’15) has also received a 2015 DOJ Attorney General’s Honors 奖学金.