Immigration Intern - Washington DC
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
www.refugees.org
USCRI's National Center for Refugee and Immigrant Children (Center) was created in March 2005 in order to recruit and train volunteer attorneys and match them with unaccompanied immigrant children who have been released from federal custody all over the U.S. In FY '06, it is projected that over 7,250 unaccompanied immigrant children will arrive to the U.S. alone and be detained by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Many of them will come having faced such horrors as abuse, neglect, gang persecution, and impoverished living conditions back at home. Some will be released and reunified with family members or family friends all over the country while others will decide to return home to their country of origin or enter into ORR Foster Care. Meanwhile, these children will have to appear before an Immigration Judge to fight their cases. Before the Center's work began in 2005, it is estimated that up to 90% of these children appeared at their Immigration Court hearings without legal representation. With the help of the Center and its national network of pro bono attorneys, these unaccompanied immigrant children are now finding free legal representation, becoming orientated to the complicated U.S. Immigration Court system and are making more educated decisions about their future here in the U.S. The Center's interns and volunteers play a pivotal role in every facet of the Center's day-to-day activities. Here is a basic description of the position along with application procedures for potential intern and/or volunteer applicants.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: • Performing intake for the cases by interacting with the children, other family members and referrers via telephone; • Facilitating the case referral process by communicating with pro bono attorneys and mentors; • Serving as the point of contact for regional training sessions; • Performing web-based research on country conditions; • Researching important legal decisions related to immigrant children; and • Maintaining and updating the Center's Database.
Qualification:
Successful candidates have the following characteristics: • Spanish and/or Chinese language fluency; • Prior experience working with the immigrant or refugee community; • Prior experience working with children; • Professionalism; • Ability to multitask; and • Sense of humor.
Contact Information:
Eric B. Sigmon
Email:
esigmon@uscridc.org
Apply by:
August 15, 2006